copacetic

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kəʊ.pəˈsɛt.ɪk/ (UK); /ˌkoʊ.pəˈsɛt.ɪk/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

The origin is unknown.^[2][3][4][5] Suggested sources include Hebrew kol b'seder “all in order”, Italian, Louisiana French and Native American languages,^[3][6][2] but none is accepted by scholars.^[6][3][5] It is said to have arisen in the speech of Black Americans in the South in the 19th century,^[6][3] and its spread is often credited to the entertainer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Fine, excellent, going just right (1919).^[7][6][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The meaning has stayed close to “very satisfactory, all right”.^[4][5] The novelist John O'Hara thought it a Harlem and gangster corruption of an Italian word,^[2] and it was used by Black jazz musicians.^[2] The spelling varied widely (copasetic, copesetic, kopasettee) before settling.^[2][4]

Timeline

• 1919 – fine, excellent.^[7][6][3][4]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Very satisfactory; fine; in excellent order.

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
7. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press