Quote:
Originally Posted by Jabby
I think the origin of the word was the bastardization of either a Korean or Japanese word meaning the equivalent of OK and used the same way.
I didn't recognize the word at first. Although I have used the word "copasetic" many times, in the past, I have never seen it in print. It was a common expression used by G.I.s during the Korean War.
Regards - John
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This is getting interesting. Here is
the OED entry. It may have something to do with African American culture in the south and some "underworld" subculture in the U.S. The examples go back to 1919 so it could not be adopted during the World War II or the Korean War. But this doesn't exclude the possibility that it came from the Far East. It is interesting to know which part of America most U.S. soldiers in the Korean War came from.