What's In A Word?

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OK, enough already!

Allen Walker Read of Columbia University solved the mystery of "OK" in a series of articles in American Speech in 1963-64. In 1839, a "frolicsome group" in Boston called the Anti-Bell-Ringing Society started using the term to stand for "oll korrect," a facetious misspelling.

The first recorded use of OK was in the spring of 1839 by the Boston Morning Post: (23 March) "He of the Journal...would have the "contribution box," et ceteras, o.k.--all correct--and cause the corks to fly, like sparks, upward."

By July of that year, the term spread south to New York, and quickly gained wide acceptance:

The next year, 1840, New York Democrats formed an organization called the OK Club. The name of the club stood for Old Kinderhook as Martin Van Buren was running for reelection that year. Since the term was in use prior to the formation of the OK Club, it seems likely that the name of the club was due in part due to the phrase, not vice versa. The activities of the OK Club, however, undoubtedly contributed to the popularity of OK even if not providing the origin.

Documented: "Okay" or "OK" is originally from a misspelling fad: "Oll Korrect" (all correct); popularized by "Old Kinderhook" Van Buren in election campaign.

References:

• AFU Archive: Etymology of OK