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 seemingly unknown origin that is not considered slang in contemporary usage. This word is likely a descendant of the Hebrew phrase "Hakol B'Tzedek," meaning "everything is all right." It may have also come from African American slang in the late 19th century. Its use is found almost exclusively in North America, and has been said to have been first widely publicized in communications between the astronauts and Mission Control of the Apollo Program in the 1960s [1] [2] [3]. 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."

Appears in Headstrong lyrics song "All of the above" and Local H's "Bound for the Floor"

[edit] References

  1. ^ What the heck does copacetic mean, anyway?. The Copacetic Comics Company. Retrieved on December 7, 2006.
  2. ^ Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Journal: Post-landing Activities. Lunar Surface Journals for the Apollo Space Missions. Retrieved on December 7, 2006.
  3. ^ Apollo 16 Lunar Surface Journal: Preparations for EVA-2. Lunar Surface Journals for the Apollo Space Missions. Retrieved on December 7, 2006.
  4. ^ Greetings & Courtesies. Chinook Jargon Phrasebook. Retrieved on September 12, 2006.
  5. ^ Mamet, David (October 2005). "Linguistic Anomalies For Shut-Ins". The Believer. 
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