*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of KO

Initialism of knock out. Initialism of kick-off.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
verb

To knock someone out; to render someone unconscious. · To start play.

noun

Abbreviation of knock out. · Abbreviation of kick-off (“the time or manner of start of play”).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Initialism of knock out. Initialism of kick-off.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "initialism",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "knock out"
      },
      "expansion": "Initialism of knock out"
    },
    {
      "name": "initialism",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "kick-off"
      },
      "expansion": "Initialism of kick-off"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "knock out",
      "knock out#English"
    ],
    [
      "kick-off",
      "kick-off#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To knock someone out; to render someone unconscious.",
        "To start play."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive",
        "intransitive"
      ],
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    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Abbreviation of knock out.",
        "Abbreviation of kick-off (“the time or manner of start of play”)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of"
      ],
      "recordId": "de81f22bd5ec4eee9da7394cbbb6e868f7b51f9f30eb898b406c6dd9175d8b9d",
      "rawRecordSha256": "1e9a22eae672184dbce1fc978e4e6666ae01b6723aee12ce825570ef5947eced",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 346952
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for KO →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-S08