“OK”, also spelled as “Okay” is a colloquial English word to generally denote approval or agreement (“OK, I’ll do that”). Depending on the usage and tone of the spoken sentence, it can also mean mediocre (“It was just OK”). But did you ever wonder where it originated or how it became part of the English Language?
The word “OK” is linked to the word “okeh” used by the Native Americans in the language they spoke (American Choctaw Indian language), which meant ‘an agreement’ or ‘it is so’. When the early pioneers interacted with the natives, they picked the easy to pronounce word and mingled it with their version of English. When the settlers went back to England, they took it with them. The first recorded use of it in print is being listed in the 1839 edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. Since then “OK” is one of the most popular words of English Language, and fun to use.
The word “OK” is linked to the word “okeh” used by the Native Americans in the language they spoke (American Choctaw Indian language), which meant ‘an agreement’ or ‘it is so’. When the early pioneers interacted with the natives, they picked the easy to pronounce word and mingled it with their version of English. When the settlers went back to England, they took it with them. The first recorded use of it in print is being listed in the 1839 edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. Since then “OK” is one of the most popular words of English Language, and fun to use.
