The Orgins of the Word OK

We often take words for granted, using them everyday and never knowing their origin. One such word is used by every person in the United States at least thirty times a day, and happens to be the most recognizable word on the planet. What you may ask is this word? Two simple letters used together, OK.

OK can be used in many ways. OK can mean that something is alright, or that you understand something. We use this small word so much in our day to day life it's amazing, but where did it come from? The first recorded use of the word OK was in Boston Morning Post on March 23, 1839. It was printed in a story and from that point on spread rapidly through out our culture. The use of the word in the news story was intended to be "All Correct"

Teenagers of the 1830's, much like in modern times, would come up with ways to abbreviate words and use those letters to communicate with one another. "OK" was slang for Oll Correct, and there were a host of other slang terms used during the 1830's. "KY" was used for "No Use" "OW for "All Right" and "KG was used for "No Go". This may seem like a funny concept but the practice is still in use today.

Look at terms used on the internet, you can see definite similarities. While talking to one another online teenagers will commonly abbreviate things, on an instant messenger, in e-mails, and during posts on forums. LoL means Laugh out Loud, OMG stands for Oh My God, and IMHO is In My Humble Opinion, along with a host of many other terms. In fact there are so many other terms used online today, an actual dictionary was published to help people learn what the most common slang terms meant.

So the combination of letters to abbreviate words for slang use is nothing new, but no combination has ever achieved the popularity and use of the two simple letters "OK" the term has been used for over a hundred an fifty years and will always be a simple and intricate part of our society and culture. OK is the most recognizable term in the world, almost every culture knows the meaning of this simple phrase, showing the true impact on our world. So next time you say "OK mom" or "Sure it's OK with me" just give a little thank you to the teenage crowd of the 1830's and a nod of acknowledgment to the Boston Morning News for bringing us such a diverse and useful word.