People are just learning what the 'O' in 'o'clock' means and its historical significance

The English language is chock-full of quirky words with fascinating origins that we often take for granted .

Take the ubiquitous 'OK' or 'okay', a term we've all used to signal agreement, akin to giving a thumbs up.

This common slang has roots stretching back nearly two centuries, originating from "oll korrect," a playful twist on "all correct" that emerged during an 1830s fad for whimsical abbreviations like OW (oll wright), KY (know yuse, or no use), and NS ('nuff said).

• Cillian Murphy you can stream now dubbed 'most underrated WW2 film of all time'
• Daniel Day-Lewis' 'best movie' is 'one of the greatest of the century' and you can stream it now

This trend included intentional misspellings, with 'oll korrect' being a humorous rendition of 'all correct'. In another revelation shaking the internet, folks are just finding out the shocking reason why silk isn't vegan, leaving many utterly astonished.

And then there's the mystery of the 'o' in o'clock. Ever pondered its meaning? A social media user sparked debate by asking: "What's the meaning of "O" in O'clock?"

The post was met with a flurry of responses, with one person mistakenly claiming: "It just stands for zero. So nine O' clock is right at 9. Then 9:01 9:02 9 O' 3 ... it just means zero."

Yet, the majority correctly pointed out that it's actually short for "of the clock".

The prefix 'O' has its roots in Middle English, which was spoken from the Norman Conquest of 1066 to the late 15th century. It was initially used as an abbreviation for "on" or "of" and is still seen in words like "o'clock", "Jack-o'-lantern", and "will-o'-the-wisp".

One person shed more light on this , saying: "The 'O' in 'O'clock' stands for "of the. The phrase 'O'clock' is a contraction of 'of the clock,' which was historically used to specify the time according to the clock. For example, saying "it's 3 o'clock" originally meant "it is 3 of the clock.

"Over time, 'of the' was shortened to just 'O', leading to the phrase we commonly use today."

Another user expressed their delight at discovering this new information, saying: "See this is why I like threads it's the questions and answers I never thought of."

For the latest local news and features on Irish America, visit our homepage here .