Okay Turned 175

Okay, the most frequently spoken word in the English language, turned 175 on March 23. But there was no fanfare, celebrating this milestone, in Okay, Arkansas and Okay, Oklahoma. The former was a one-time limestone quarry town, abandoned for years, while some residents of the latter would explain that the origin of their hometown's name was Okay Truck Manufacturing Co. Some believed that this word must be commemorated. Okay?

Okay means approval, acceptance in some cases, understood by anyone. even those who speak a little English. It's even useful in the digital world, often seen in Twitter and text messages. No question about its stature, if only some are curious about its toponymy.

The word was first used in the 1830s, when editors of the Boston Morning Post signed off on articles as "all correct" with “oll korrect" (or "OK"). Then came Democratic presidential nominee Martin Van Buren, whose spin doctors insisted to voters that it meant "Old Kinderhook". (Van Buren was a native of Kinderhook, New York.) Nineteenth century was the era of the abbreviation craze, but that term took off from there, soon connoting agreement, endorsement, likability, mediocrity, or quality. Okay was so entrenched in the American life a century later. Consider the abbreviation of Oklahoma. (OK.) It was also used by OK Soda in the 1990s. Many business owners find the word ideal for a brand name. OK Magazine. OK Central Deli. OK Fashion Town Cleaners. The word is also an acronym, but with many meanings. (One Kiss. Obvious Knowledge. Oscillating Klystron.)

Allan Metcalf, English professor in Illinois, released a book, “OK: The Improbable Story of America’s Greatest Word", in 2001. He was the word's leading authority on the term's history and meaning, believing that there should be parades and speeches every 23th of March. The word may looked simple, but this was what he said about its oral and aural virtues: “The sounds of OK were clearly secondary to its appearance in print, but they too are fortuitously clear and simple: two long vowels, O and A, separated in the middle by a quick K. Nearly every language in the world not only has these three sounds but allows them to be combined in that sequence, which accounts both for the spread of OK throughout the world and the penchant for discovering the ‘true’ origin of OK in words or expressions of another language that sound very much like OK.” He had a point, but the word was so catchy, it was fun to say it.

There is no doubt that the word is quintessentially American, no direct relationship with Latin or Greek or any other ancient tongue. But it has its variations. ("Oukej" in Czech and Slovak, "Oké" in Dutch and French, "Ô kê" in Vietnam.) You can't go wrong with the term, by word or gesture, in the mainland or foreign land. It can be used as an adjective or adverb, noun or verb, even interjection. What a term.

Maybe there'll be a celebration next year.