Today's Word:
Copacetic (Adjective)
Pronunciation: [ko-pê-'se-tik]
Definition: More than satisfactory, fine, running very smoothly, going quite well.
Usage: This term is rarely used outside North America. It was popularized by the dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (1878-1949), the African American dancer who was so popular that schools were closed in New York when he died. Later it spread among developers of the U.S. space program. Its profile has lowered since then. If you do not like our spelling, "copsetic" will do just as well.
Suggested Usage: The term is perfect if you want to express an intensified "O.K." without going so far as "excellent" or "outstanding." "That solution isn't just good, it's positively copacetic." This word has overtones of "congenial", too: "Things are not so copacetic at the office right now; the new director is a bit overbearing."
Etymology: Today's word entered the language around 1919 among black jazz musicians, but its etymology is unknown. Etymologists have speculated that it originates from an African word in southern U.S. Black English, from the Yiddish phrase kol b'tzedek "all with justice," the Creole French word coupersètique "able to cope with things," and from the Chinook word copasenee, "everything is satisfactory." Take your pick.
