okay is one of the most frequently used words in the English language, but does it have a Greek origin?
One theory on the etymology of OK is that it was originally an acronym for the Greek phrase “óla kalá” (όλα καλά), meaning “all good.”
The theory that OK is of Greek origin was discussed in the April 1942 edition of American Speech. American Speech is a quarterly academic journal focusing on linguistics and language.
In the article, the academic Robert Weber explored a number of possible theories for the origin of the commonly used acronym. Weber referred to another academic, Robert C. McClelland, who likewise explored the word’s roots in the October 1933 edition of The Classical Journal.
McClelland came across the book, When I was a Boy in Greece, by George Demetrios, published in 1913. Demetrios’ explanation was that the acronym, OK, had been used by Greek teachers to positively mark the work of their students since ancient times.
In the preface to the book, Demetrios wrote “I gave him the final manuscript to see if I had been faithful to my task, and after re-reading it, the boy pronounced it όλα καλά (ola kala).”
“The first letters of the two words have been used from time immemorial by Greek teachers to mark the deserving themes of their pupils, and we who so generally write ‘O.K.’ to denote accuracy assign many fanciful reasons for the origin of the expression, not knowing that it is really classical,” the passage continues.
Hence, according to Demetrios, ancient Greek teachers may very well have inscribed the acronym “OK” on the work of deserving students. Aristotle, upon seeing the work of the young Alexander the Great may have marked his papers with the same acronym.
In the comedy movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the character Gus insists that every word in the English language has a Greek origin. This is a reoccurring joke throughout the film. Yet, this joke does have a basis in reality. Over sixty percent of words in the English language have Greek or Latin roots.
This figure is even higher at about ninety percent in vocabulary associated with science and technology. In total, over 150,000 English words have been borrowed from Greek. Six to fifteen percent of English words are directly borrowed from Greek, according to estimates.
What do you think?