Copasetic

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Copasetic, also spelled copacetic, means very satisfactory or acceptable. It is an unusual English language word in that it is one of the few words of unknown origin that is not considered slang in contemporary usage. Its use is found almost exclusively in North America, and has been said to have been first widely publicized its use in communications between the astronauts and Mission Control of the Apollo Program in the 1960s ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Its most likely origin comes from African American slang in the late 19th century. The earliest known usage given in the Oxford English Dictionary is from 1919:

1919 I. BACHELLER Man for Ages iv. 69 ‘As to looks I'd call him, as ye might say, real copasetic.’ Mrs. Lukins expressed this opinion solemnly... Its last word stood for nothing more than an indefinite depth of meaning.

Another theory is that copacetic may have originated from Chinook Jargon, a trade language used in the Pacific Northwest to communicate between tribes, and European traders. The preposition "kopa" is very common in the language, and "Kopasetty" may have been used to mean "doing just fine". This theory is mentioned in an online Chinook Dictionary.^[4]

David Mamet has written an article about its origins, although perhaps in jest.^[5]

Copacetic may also be a derivation of the Hebrew phrase "Kol Beseder," which translates to "everything is okay."

[edit] References

1. ^ What the heck does copacetic mean, anyway?. The Copacetic Comics Company. Retrieved on 2006-12-07.
2. ^ Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Journal: Post-landing Activities. Lunar Surface Journals for the Apollo Space Missions. Retrieved on 2006-12-07.
3. ^ Apollo 16 Lunar Surface Journal: Preparations for EVA-2. Lunar Surface Journals for the Apollo Space Missions. Retrieved on 2006-12-07.
4. ^ Greetings & Courtesies. Chinook Jargon Phrasebook. Retrieved on 2006-09-12.
5. ^ Mamet, David (October 2005). "Linguistic Anomalies For Shut-Ins". The Believer.