okay

See also:o' kayandOkay

English

Alternative forms

• OK,O.K.,okey-dokey,k,'kay,m'kay,A-OK,otay,ok,okeh,okey,okie-dokie,kay

Etymology

A respelling ofOK.

Pronunciation

• (stressed)
  • (Received Pronunciation)IPA^(key):/ˌəʊˈkeɪ/
  • (General American)IPA^(key):/ˌoʊˈkeɪ/

    • Audio(US):

      (file)

  • (Ghanaian)IPA^(key):[ˌɔˈkej]
• (unstressed)
  • IPA^(key):/əˈkeɪ/
• Rhymes:-eɪ

Noun

okay(pluralokays)

1. Alternative spelling ofOK

Verb

okay(third-person singular simple presentokays,present participleokaying,simple past and past participleokayed)

1. Alternative spelling ofOK

Adjective

okay(comparativemoreokayorokayer,superlativemostokayorokayest)

1. Alternative spelling ofOK
   • 1868–1869,Louisa M[ay] Alcott,Little Women:[…],(please specify |part=1 or 2),Boston, Mass.:Roberts Brothers,→OCLC:

     One of us must marry well. Meg didn't, Jo won't, Beth can't yet, so I shall, and make everythingokayall round.

Adverb

okay(comparativemoreokay,superlativemostokay)

1. Alternative spelling ofOK

Interjection

okay

1. Alternative spelling ofOK

Anagrams

• kayo,oaky,yoak

Ainu

Alternative forms

• (Saru dialect)oka

Etymology

Fromoka(“are”)+‎i(nominalising suffix),literally“those which are”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):[ò̞ꜛkáj]

Pronoun

okay(Kana spellingオカイ)

1. they(third-person plural pronoun)

Usage notes

This word is not actually a proper pronoun, but is often used when it is absolutely necessary to point directly to a third person in conversation. The proper third-person pronoun in Ainu would be the lack of any personal pronoun at all, i.e., it has anullvalue.

See also

Ainu personal pronouns

person	isolated form	affix form
		nominative	objective
first	singular	kuani,kani1	ku=,k=1(before vowels)	en=
	exclusive plural	ciokay,coka1,ciutari	ci=,c=1=as	un=
	inclusive plural	anokay,aoka1,anutari	a=,=an	i=
second	singular	eani	e=
	plural	eciokay,ecioka1,eciutari	eci=
	singular (polite)	anokay,aoka1	a=,=an	i=
	plural (polite)	anokay,aoka1,anutari
third	singular	sinuma,anihi	∅=
	plural	okay,oka1
indefinite	singular	asinuma	a=,=an	i=
	plural	anokay,aoka1,anutari
1. Saru dialect

French

Etymology

BorrowedfromEnglishokay.

Interjection

okay

1. Alternative spelling ofOK

German

Alternative forms

• ok,OK
• o.k.,O.K.(proscribed)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/oˈkeː/,/oˈkɛɪ̯/

• Audio:

  (file)

Interjection

okay

1. OK

   Synonyms:in Ordnung,d'accord,tamam

Usage notes

The spellingokayis the most frequent in German. Abbreviations (as given above) do exist, but are less common than in English.

Adverb

okay

1. OK

   Synonyms:ordentlich,annehmlich,annehmbar,zufriedenstellend

Adjective

okay(strong nominative masculine singularokayer,comparativeokayer,superlativeamokaysten)

1. (informal)OK

   Synonyms:in Ordnung,annehmlich,annehmbar

   • 2009,Christian Y. Schmidt,Allein unter 1,3 Milliarden: Eine chinesische Reise von Shanghai bis Kathmandu,Rowohlt Verlag GmbH,→ISBN:

     Dieser Hügel ist achthundertsieben Meter hoch, und ich bin nur hochgelaufen, weil der Strand von meiner Freundin blockiert wurde, die mir gerade auf die Nerven ging. Das war noch ein halbwegsokayerAusflug.

     (pleaseadd an English translationof this quotation)

   • 2016,Karin Kaçi, Jan Braren,Homevideo,Carlsen E-Books,→ISBN:

     »Jakon Moormann. Deine Slides waren schon mal besser, aber du bist ein ganzokayerSkater. Bist auch ein ganzokayerKumpel. Und die Mädchen finden dich superokay.«

     (pleaseadd an English translationof this quotation)

   • 2016December 30,Moritz von Uslar,“Party braucht keinen König”, inDie Zeit‎^[1]:

     Die Firma Tiger of Sweden, die heute ihren Berliner Flagshipstore eröffnet, macht vollokaye,insgesamt vollkommen egale Frauen- und Männermode, wie sie in Flughafenboutiquen verkauft wird.

     (pleaseadd an English translationof this quotation)

   • 2022October 9, Hartmut El Kurdi, “Portrait der unterschätzten Stadt Hannover: Eigentlich doch ganz okay hier”, inDie Tageszeitung: taz‎^[2],→ISSN:

     Und wenn man schon mal ganz unhannoversch – man möge mir verzeihen – die Vorteile beziehungsweise die ganzokayenAspekte der Stadt aufzählen möchte, darf man die beachtlichen 12 Prozent des Stadtgebietes, die aus Grünfläche bestehen, nicht vergessen:

     (pleaseadd an English translationof this quotation)

Usage notes

The comparative and attributive use is recent and therefore not always considered grammatical.

Declension

Positive forms ofokay

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		eristokay	sieistokay	esistokay	siesindokay
strong declension (without article)	nominative	okayer	okaye	okayes	okaye
	genitive	okayen	okayer	okayen	okayer
	dative	okayem	okayer	okayem	okayen
	accusative	okayen	okaye	okayes	okaye
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	derokaye	dieokaye	dasokaye	dieokayen
	genitive	desokayen	derokayen	desokayen	derokayen
	dative	demokayen	derokayen	demokayen	denokayen
	accusative	denokayen	dieokaye	dasokaye	dieokayen
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	einokayer	eineokaye	einokayes	(keine)okayen
	genitive	einesokayen	einerokayen	einesokayen	(keiner)okayen
	dative	einemokayen	einerokayen	einemokayen	(keinen)okayen
	accusative	einenokayen	eineokaye	einokayes	(keine)okayen

Comparative forms ofokay

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		eristokayer	sieistokayer	esistokayer	siesindokayer
strong declension (without article)	nominative	okayerer	okayere	okayeres	okayere
	genitive	okayeren	okayerer	okayeren	okayerer
	dative	okayerem	okayerer	okayerem	okayeren
	accusative	okayeren	okayere	okayeres	okayere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	derokayere	dieokayere	dasokayere	dieokayeren
	genitive	desokayeren	derokayeren	desokayeren	derokayeren
	dative	demokayeren	derokayeren	demokayeren	denokayeren
	accusative	denokayeren	dieokayere	dasokayere	dieokayeren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	einokayerer	eineokayere	einokayeres	(keine)okayeren
	genitive	einesokayeren	einerokayeren	einesokayeren	(keiner)okayeren
	dative	einemokayeren	einerokayeren	einemokayeren	(keinen)okayeren
	accusative	einenokayeren	eineokayere	einokayeres	(keine)okayeren

Superlative forms ofokay

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		eristamokaysten	sieistamokaysten	esistamokaysten	siesindamokaysten
strong declension (without article)	nominative	okayster	okayste	okaystes	okayste
	genitive	okaysten	okayster	okaysten	okayster
	dative	okaystem	okayster	okaystem	okaysten
	accusative	okaysten	okayste	okaystes	okayste
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	derokayste	dieokayste	dasokayste	dieokaysten
	genitive	desokaysten	derokaysten	desokaysten	derokaysten
	dative	demokaysten	derokaysten	demokaysten	denokaysten
	accusative	denokaysten	dieokayste	dasokayste	dieokaysten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	einokayster	eineokayste	einokaystes	(keine)okaysten
	genitive	einesokaysten	einerokaysten	einesokaysten	(keiner)okaysten
	dative	einemokaysten	einerokaysten	einemokaysten	(keinen)okaysten
	accusative	einenokaysten	eineokayste	einokaystes	(keine)okaysten

Further reading

• “okay”inDudenonline
• “okay”inDudenonline

Spanish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowingfromEnglishokay.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/oˈkei/[oˈkei̯]
• Rhymes:-ei

Interjection

okay

1. OK(endorsement; approval)

Usage notes

• According toRoyal Spanish Academy(RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.