Description of the problem:

How did the word "OK" come from

Analysis:

The origin of OK

Okay is probably the most popular English word in the world except Yes and no. But where did it come from? Traditionally, linguists have held their own opinions.

some people say that okay was invented by Indians. There is such an Indian tribe called Chocktaw, who lives in the rich Mississippi valley and lives by planting and fishing. Whenever there is a problem, Chocktaw's leaders will sit around with the tribal leaders and discuss with them. If someone agrees with others, they will nod their heads and say "Okeh", which means "That's it". When Europeans first arrived in America, they heard a lot of Indian words and developed them into English vocabulary. Nowadays, many cities, rivers and mountains in the United States have their names derived from Indian language.

There is another credible saying: the word Okay was invented by a political group in the 19th century. There is a man named Martin Van Buren who is going to run for president. His supporters set up a club to promote him. The name of the club is "Okay Club". It is said that the letters O and K are taken from Van Buren's hometown, Old Kinderhook, New York, where he was born.

For such a popular vocabulary, naturally everyone may have his own story. However, I believe the whole world will agree that OK is a pure American vocabulary, and it is an excellent example of vocabulary crossing different languages. There is only one thing that needs to be reminded: OK is usually used in spoken language. In written language, we can use words such as agree, assent, approve, conform and so on to make it more formal.

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There is also the following explanation:

In the boxing ring, knocking down the opponent and winning is called konck-out, or KO for short, or written as kayo. It can be used as a noun (He won by a K.O), a verb (The Champ K.O.' d him in the third round), or an adjective (That was a K.O. punch). If the opponent is beaten and unable to parry, the referee will stop the game, which is called TKO(technical konckout).

turning KO upside down is OK. Undoubtedly, OK is the most popular and useful two letters in American English. When people talk to you, you should say OK-"Yes", "Good", "Right", "Not bad", "OK", "Come on, come on" ... It may contain various meanings. OK can also be written in different ways: OK, okey, okeh, oke. You can also play tricks and say it as okey-doke or okey-dokey. What exactly do the letters OK originally represent? American English experts and lexicographers have made many different textual researches, and each explanation is legendary. The following are recorded:

First, the sailing trade of sailing boats in New England brought silk tea from China and imported sugar and wine from Dominica in Central America, among which the top grade came from Haikou and the place name was Aux Cayes (pronounced as OK).

Second, more than 1 years ago, during the civil war between the North and the South, there was a biscuit maker named Orrin Kendall (abbreviated as OK). His products were very popular as food in the wholesale army, and each biscuit was printed with the letter OK as a trademark.

Third, during the pioneering period in the American West, there was an Indian chief, nicknamed Old Keokuk, who was honest. Every white man signed a treaty with him with the letter OK, and never broke his promise.

Fourth, Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, served as a court document in his early years. After every record was examined correctly, he approved the word OK, indicating Oll Korrect(All Correct). Later, when Jackson ran for the presidency, some people on the other side used this legend to slander him, referring to him as an uneducated person who wrote other words.

5. Choctaw, the "Choctaw" family of Indians, has the word Okeh, which means "Right!" Many years later, President Wilson read the official document and also approved it with the word Okeh.

When the eighth President Van Buren ran for the second time in 184, his supporters organized The Democratic O.K. Club to support his campaign. OK here refers to Van Buren's hometown, a village called Old-Kinder-hook in New York State.

Of the above anecdotes about OK, most American English authorities believe that the last one about Van Buren is the most reliable. Regardless of the origin of OK, these two letters may be the most popular American words spread all over the world through the two world wars and the spread of American movies.