# m'kay
## English
### Alternative forms

* mkay, mmkay, mm-kay, mmmkay, mmm-kay, mmk, mk

### Etymology

Nasalized variant of okay. Perhaps popularized by Mr. Mackey's catchphrase in South Park; earlier, apparently chiefly in linguistic transcriptions of speech.

### Pronunciation

* (US) IPA: /mːˈkeɪ/, [ŋˈkeɪ]
* Audio (Southern England):(file)
* Rhymes: -eɪ

### Interjection

m'kay
* (informal) Okay; an expression of acknowledgment or affirmation, now sometimes used in an ironic or condescending sense.
** spelling mkay
*** 1991, Barbara A. Fox, “Cognitive and Interactional Aspects of Correction in Tutoring,” in Teaching Knowledge and Intelligent Tutoring, Peter Goodyear ed. :
    In these tutoring sessions we have found that, when the tutor agrees with the student’s displayed understanding, her signal of confirmation comes quickly after the student’s turn, as in: S. Mkay. hh. And I know it’s negative, just to follow your thought process, because I know that the sine is positive. T. Mhm
*** 1993, Herbert H Clark, Arenas of Language Use
    [...] the director would go on only when both were satisfied the matcher had understood, as here: D. The long view of the quad uh walkway M. those M. ┌ numbers right? D. └ is number 5 M. Mkay D. Yeah with the numbers on the bottom.
*** 1995, Charles Conrad and Lucinda Sinclair-James, “Institutional Pressures, Cultural Constraints, and Communication in Community Mediation Organizations,” in Conflict and Organizations, Anne Maydan Nicotera ed.
    M1: Mkay. Let me point us back to. This is related to um what we were talking about and how you’re going to um sort of report what happened here tonight.
*** 2004, Gordon Atkinson, RealLivePreacher.com :
    My bold, Crocodile Hunter “Absolutely” withered into “mkay” with the end of the word lilted up like a desperate question.
*** 2004, Deanna Kizis, How to Meet Cute Boys :
    That has nothing to do with star-power crap and everything to do with keeping it real, mkay?
** spelling mmkay
*** 1997: Christina S. Beck, Partnership for Health (dead link):
    C: I want you to re:st (.) re:st (.) as much as you can do (.) is just re:st (.) hhh when >you go< home (.) >you tell< your husband you make dinner honey (.) hhh you take care of me (.) . . . I need >to set< down (.) I need >to rest< (.) P: mmkay (.) C: and >get down< (.) watch your sodium (.) the salt=
*** 2004, Abbe Diaz, PX This (dead link):
    well i used to have some skilled sticky fingers of my own back in the day so i know a shoplifted dress when i see one mmkay.
*** 2005, Catherine Delaney, The Rosameorns (dead link):
    I looked back to him...mmkay brown hair dark eyes...high cheek bones that lucky monkey I wonder if he has some native American.
*** 2005, Jenny Colgan, Boy I Loved Before (dead link)
    She was sitting perched on her desk, in that nonchalant, ‘mmkay?’ way teachers do when they’re trying to pretend they’re down with the kids.
** spelling mmmkay
*** 1999, “It's Easy, MMMKay.” [title, in soundtrack] South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
*** 2004, Victoria Schmitz, If It’s Not One Thing It’s the Other :
    Let’s get all this straight. He took me to a place he hates to see if I like it. Mmmkay.
*** 2004, Stephanie Lehmann, Are You in the Mood
    He told her she could sleep in if she liked. “Mmmkay,” she said without opening her eyes, and he kissed her good-bye.
** spelling m’kay
*** 1999, Tom Bradley, Black Class Cur :
    “I’ll tell you a secret if you promise not to tell anybody, not even the missus, m’kay?” “M’kay.”
*** 2003, Bill Hunt and Todd Doogan, The Digital Bits: Insider’s Guide to DVD :
    But do keep in mind that this film [viz. South Park] is not for the faint of heart, and it ain’t for kids, m’kay?
** spelling mm-kay
*** 2000, Tom Bradley, Hustling the East :
    She didn’t ask what that was supposed to mean, but tallied a while on her fingertips and obliged him. “Mm-kay, bye.”
*** 2005, Bill Eisele, Scrub Match
    “All I’m saying,” the Asian man said, “is it’s about time she got a whiff of her own breath. Mm-kay?”
** spelling mmm-kay
*** 2005, Michael Collins, Hot Lights, Cold Steel‎:“Well, I’m going to take a picture of your arm and then this nice doctor is going to fix it for you, okay?” “Mmm-kay.”

#### Usage notes

* Spellings with initial h, suggesting reanalysis as hmm + 'kay, are common on the Internet, though print citations are yet lacking.