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OK

UK[ˌəʊˈkeɪ]US[ˌoʊˈkeɪ]
adj

Satisfactory or acceptable.

adj

In a satisfactory condition or of an acceptable standard.

adv

In a satisfactory manner or to a satisfactory extent.

exclamation

Used to express agreement or acceptance.

v

To approve or authorize something.

Etymology

The origin of "OK" is one of the most debated in English etymology, with the most widely accepted theory tracing it to a humorous abbreviation fad in Boston in the late 1830s. It is believed to be an intentional misspelling of "all correct" as "oll korrect," abbreviated to "O.K." Its popularity was cemented by its use as a slogan in the 1840 U.S. presidential campaign of Martin Van Buren, nicknamed "Old Kinderhook," from his birthplace. From this specific, playful origin, the term evolved through widespread use into a universal, abstract marker of approval, acceptance, or satisfactory condition, losing all connection to its original spelled-out phrases.

Analysis

This word is a simplex loanword and folk etymology acronym. It does not have segmentable morphemes in the traditional sense within its modern spelling.

Examples

The plan sounds OK to me.

Is your headache OK now?

She OK'd the final draft of the report.

OK – Meaning, Etymology & Word Origin | OpenEtymology