How the Word ‘OK’ Evolved Into a Statement of Affirmation and Well Being

Professor Marcus Collins of the University of Michigan explained how the term “OK” (okay) came to be known as a statement of affirmation or well-being. The saying started as a private joke amongst the Boston elite before moving to a contentious mid-19th century presidential campaign. It finally came to its current form with the invention of the telegraph machine which came a few years later.

The reworking of meaning and cultural adoption as observed through the ubiquity of “ok.”