Etymology Map
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Okay

3 stages from American English to English.

Today it means satisfactory; all right; used to express agreement

Where does the word "okay" come from? It comes from American English O.K., passing through American English before entering English (1920s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
O.K.
American English · 1839
"all correct"
the Boston Morning Post printed 'o.k.' on 23 March 1839 as a joke abbreviation of 'oll korrect', part of a fad for misspelled initials, as the linguist Allen Walker Read showed in the 1960s
2
Stage 2 of 3
O.K.
American English · 1840
"all right"
Martin Van Buren's re-election campaign adopted it for his nickname 'Old Kinderhook', spreading it nationwide through 'O.K. Clubs'
3
Stage 3 of 3
okay
English · 1920s
"all right"
spelled out as a word; now among the most widely recognised expressions in the world's languages
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Read the full story

Okay’s story begins in American English: O.K. meant “all correct.” The Boston Morning Post printed 'o.k.' on 23 March 1839 as a joke abbreviation of 'oll korrect', part of a fad for misspelled initials, as the linguist Allen Walker Read showed in the 1960s. Within American English, it grew into O.K. by 1840. Martin Van Buren's re-election campaign adopted it for his nickname 'Old Kinderhook', spreading it nationwide through 'O.K. Clubs'. It reached English by 1920s as okay. Spelled out as a word; now among the most widely recognised expressions in the world's languages. Today, okay means satisfactory; all right; used to express agreement.