[ExI] little puzzle

[Stuart LaForge]

On 2023-09-30 20:28, Jason Resch via extropy-chat wrote:
> On Sat, Sep 30, 2023, 6:17 PM spike jones via extropy-chat
> <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
> 
> "OK's origins are disputed; however, most modern reference works hold
> that it originated around Boston as part of a fad for misspelling in
> the late 1830s, and originally stood for "oll korrect [all correct]".
> This origin was first described by linguist Allen Walker Read in the
> 1960s."

To say that the origin of OK is disputed is a blatant understatement; 
there are 37 distinct etymologies proposed. That makes it one of the 
most controversial words I know of.

I like the one that says it is an Anglicization of the Chocktaw suffix 
oke, okeh ("it is" or "indeed")

What a fascinating word. Before OK was brought up, I was thinking of 
"mama". The syllable "ma" occurs in the word for mother in every 
language that I myself am familiar with. It lies at the very definition 
of "mammal". It might be a runner up to OK in terms of being close to a 
universal word. Can anybody think of an exception?

Stuart LaForge