What are the origins of the word "okay"? - 2011/03/23(Wed.)

   The origins are unclear, as they are with many words that have gradually become part of the language. I can say with clarity that the Ford /Otto Kruger example is not it. It most likely, if it happened at all, was a take-off on a word that by the early 1900s, was well documented.

   There are three major theories. One, that the word was derived from an abbreviation of a misspelling of 'all correct' (oll korrect). Two, that it it came from the Choctaw Indian word 'okeh' meaning 'it is so', and Three, it came from an African language word, 'waw-kay' meaning, essentailly, 'that's right' or 'all correct'.

   Each theory has its supporters and detractors. One additional anecdote that I am familiar with has it coming from the 1840 presidential campaign of Martin Van Buren, who was known by the nickname 'Old Kinderhook' from his birthplace of Kinderhook, NY. The name was shortened to the initials, which were used in campaign literature, and it is believed that this usage helped to spread the positive meaning of OK to a wider population. But is was not the origin, because that would explain only the initials and not the spelled-out version of 'okay', which is much closer to the Indian and African usages.