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From: mfs@mhuxr.UUCP (SIMON)
Newsgroups: net.nlang,net.nlang.africa
Subject: Re: Derivation of O.K.
Message-ID: <346@mhuxr.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 14-Jun-85 14:01:42 EDT
Article-I.D.: mhuxr.346
Posted: Fri Jun 14 14:01:42 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 15-Jun-85 07:25:15 EDT
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Xref: watmath net.nlang:3171 net.nlang.africa:47

> I just read that the word "Okay" stems from the
> Wolof word "wawkay", which means "by all means",
> or "certainly."  The word was brought into American
> English by slaves brought over from West Africa.
> Does anybody know more about this?  Does anybody
> know of any other possible sources of the use
> of "O.K." in English?
> 
> Debra Ansen

I have heard that O.K. comes from the Dutch Oll Korrekt, which means,
well, O.K. and came to America with Northeast Dutch settlers.

Marcel Simon