Ko
Lydia Ko (born 24 April 1997) is a New Zealand professional golfer recognized for her prodigious talent and sustained excellence in women's golf.[1] She achieved the distinction of becoming the youngest winner in LPGA Tour history at age 15 in 2012, capturing the CN Canadian Women's Open as an amateur, and later secured two major championships: the 2015 Evian Championship and the 2016 ANA Inspiration.[2] Ko has amassed 20 LPGA Tour victories, crossed the $20 million earnings threshold, and earned induction into the LPGA Hall of Fame in 2024 after clinching her third Olympic medal—a gold in Paris—following silver in Rio 2016 and bronze in Tokyo 2020, making her the most decorated Olympian in golf history.[3][4] Her career highlights include two Rolex Player of the Year awards and two Vare Trophies for lowest scoring average, underscoring her technical precision and competitive dominance.[5]Sports and games
Knockout in combat sports
A knockout (KO) denotes a fight-ending outcome in combat sports including boxing, mixed martial arts (MMA), and kickboxing, where legal strikes render one fighter unable to continue due to loss of consciousness, severe disorientation, or failure to recover from a knockdown within a mandated recovery period.[6][7] In professional boxing, governed by unified rules from bodies like the Association of Boxing Commissions, a referee issues a standing or downed eight-count for apparent injury or imbalance, escalating to a full ten-second count upon knockdown; failure to rise under the fighter's own power by "ten" results in KO declaration, prioritizing participant safety by assessing voluntary recovery.[8] Similar mechanics apply in amateur Olympic boxing, where inability to resume within ten seconds after knockdown awards KO to the opponent.[9] MMA organizations such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) under Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts define KO as the fighter's inability to continue post-strike-induced knockdown, often without a formal count if unconsciousness is evident, though referees may administer counts for partial recoveries; strikes encompass punches, kicks, knees, and elbows.[10] Kickboxing variants, including those sanctioned by international federations, mirror boxing's ten-count protocol for knockdowns, declaring KO if the fighter cannot regain footing unaided, with some styles imposing a three-knockdown rule terminating bouts after repeated falls in one round.[11] The KO criterion originated in codified boxing regulations of the mid-19th century, with the Marquess of Queensberry Rules of 1867 standardizing glove use and round structures while implying knockdown protections, evolving from earlier bare-knuckle eras lacking formal counts; the ten-second recovery became entrenched in early 20th-century professional bouts to mitigate prolonged vulnerability.[12] A landmark instance occurred on May 25, 1965, when Muhammad Ali (then Cassius Clay) achieved a first-round KO over heavyweight champion Sonny Liston at 1:56 elapsed time via a short right-hand strike—dubbed the "phantom punch" for its subtlety—that floored Liston, who rose slowly beyond the count amid controversy over impact visibility and Liston's promptness.[13] KO differs from technical knockout (TKO), the latter involving referee or ringside stoppage due to defenselessness from accumulated strikes, cuts, or doctor-assessed impairment without requiring full knockdown or unconsciousness; TKOs emphasize proactive intervention to avert unnecessary harm, whereas KOs hinge on the downed fighter's post-impact incapacity.[6][7] Both count as stoppage victories in records, but KO signifies direct strike efficacy in overwhelming neural function.[14]Ko rule in board games
The ko rule is a fundamental mechanism in the board game Go (known as weiqi in Chinese and baduk in Korean) designed to prevent immediate recapture of a single stone, thereby avoiding infinite cycles of repetition that could stall gameplay indefinitely.[15] In a typical ko situation, one player captures an opponent's isolated stone, creating a configuration where the opponent could recapture on the next turn and restore the prior board state; the rule mandates that the recapturing player must instead play elsewhere first, often requiring a ko threat to force concessions elsewhere before resolving the ko.[16] This prohibition applies specifically to single-stone captures and has been integral to Go's rules since ancient formulations, ensuring progress toward a decisive outcome rather than perpetual oscillation.[17] Historical records indicate that the ko rule emerged alongside early weiqi codifications in ancient China, where the game itself dates back over 2,500 years, with textual references from the 6th century BCE onward; it addressed practical needs for fair adjudication by curbing exploitable loops without broader positional bans.[18] Traditional rulesets, such as those predating modern variants, enforced this via simple immediate-recapture bans, reflecting game-theoretic necessities to maintain causal progression and strategic depth over rote repetition.[19] Extensions like superko rules, employed in certain tournament settings such as those under Chinese rules, prohibit not just immediate ko recaptures but any repetition of prior board positions, regardless of intervening moves or passes, to comprehensively eliminate cycles in complex multi-ko scenarios.[20][21] Positional superko, for instance, deems illegal any play recreating an earlier full-board state with the same player to move, a stricter measure used in professional contexts to enforce uniqueness and deter long-term repetitions, though basic ko suffices for most amateur play.[22] Analogous cycle-prevention rules appear in other abstract strategy games, such as Arimaa, where regulations forbid repeating an identical board position with the same player to move, mirroring situational superko to halt potential endless loops while preserving tactical freedom.[23] These mechanisms underscore a shared principle across such games: prioritizing irreversible advancement to foster emergent strategies grounded in finite decision trees rather than exploitable equilibria.Arts and entertainment
Music
KO refers to the stage name of Canadian musician Ko Kapches, whose recordings fuse elements of folk, hip-hop, reggae, rock, and R&B. His debut album Let's Blaze was released on August 25, 2009, via MapleMusic Recordings, featuring tracks such as "Capable" that exemplify his self-described "urban folk" style addressing themes of personal struggle and recovery.[24][25][26] K.O. denotes the professional alias of South African rapper and producer Ntokozo Mdluli, who produces hip-hop tracks emphasizing lyrical skill and cultural influences from Soweto. His solo releases under this name include the 2014 album Skhanda Republic, with singles like "Caracara" featuring KiD X that achieved commercial success in South African charts.[27][28] K.O. is the title of the sixth studio album by Mexican singer Danna Paola, released on January 13, 2021, through Universal Music Mexico, comprising 11 tracks including collaborations such as "Friend De Semana" with Luísa Sonza and Aitana. The album's production incorporates pop and electronic elements, with singles like "Contigo" preceding its full release.[29][30] Ko serves as the soundtrack album for the 2011 Tamil-language film Ko, composed by Harris Jayaraj and featuring six tracks performed by vocalists including Aalaap Raju and Sriram Parthasarathy. Notable songs include "Ennamo Yeadho," a upbeat fusion of rock and Tamil folk rhythms released as the lead single on January 17, 2011, and "Aga Naga," which integrates electronic beats with traditional instrumentation.[31][32] "K.O." is a song by Brazilian performer Pabllo Vittar, issued as the third single from her 2017 debut album Vai Passar Mal on April 19, 2017, via Sony Music Brazil, blending pop with electronic production to depict intense romantic infatuation. The track's lyrics employ boxing metaphors for emotional vulnerability, supported by a music video that garnered millions of views.[33][34] "K.O." designates a 2004 single by British-Jamaican artist Smujji, released through Def Jam UK, featuring a radio edit and "Coolie Dance Mix" version sampling ragga rhythms. The track, produced with guitar by Fraser T. Smith, peaked in UK urban charts and emphasizes dancehall influences in its lyrical content about romantic defeat.[35][36]Films and television
Ko is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language political thriller film directed and written by K. V. Anand, with story contributions from Suresh and Balakrishnan.[37] The film stars Jiiva as photojournalist Ashwin Kumar, alongside Ajmal Ameer, Karthika Nair, and Piaa Bajpai, and follows Ashwin's investigation into political corruption during Tamil Nadu state elections after capturing incriminating photographs.[37] Released on April 22, 2011, it received positive critical reception for its pacing and plot, earning an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 18 reviews, and a 7.9/10 average user score on IMDb from over 6,800 ratings.[38] [37] K.O. is a 2025 French action drama film directed and written by Antoine Blossier.[39] Starring UFC fighter Ciryl Gane as Bastien, a retired MMA champion haunted by accidentally killing an opponent in the ring, alongside Alice Belaïdi as Kenza and Foued Nabba as Abdel Manchour, the plot centers on Bastien's quest to locate the widow's missing son amid clashes with a Marseille crime syndicate.[40] [39] Premiering on Netflix on June 6, 2025, it garnered mixed reviews, with a 58% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes from 19 critics citing its visceral action despite predictability, and a 5.8/10 on IMDb from approximately 4,500 users.[41] [39]Other media
"KO Komics #1" is a one-shot Golden Age superhero comic book published in 1945, featuring characters including Duke of Darkness, Prof. Jabberwacky, Magnificent Epod, and The Menace.[42] "DC K.O." is a DC Comics publishing event launched in 2025, structured as a superhero tournament narrative spanning multiple issues and tie-ins, with the storyline unfolding across the DC Universe.[43][44] "Super Crush KO" is a 2020 shoot 'em up video game developed by Verdictus East, featuring fast-paced combat against robot enemies in a near-future setting, released for platforms including Nintendo Switch.[45][46] "OK K.O.! Let's Play Heroes" is a 2018 action-adventure beat 'em up video game developed by Capybara Games and published by Cartoon Network Games, in which players control the protagonist K.O. to battle enemies and level up powers in Lakewood Plaza Turbo.Linguistics and nomenclature
Terms in languages
In linguistics, "ko" serves as the ISO 639-1 alpha-2 code designating the Korean language, standardized internationally for language identification in computing, data processing, and bibliographic contexts.[47] In Japanese, "ko" (written with the kanji 子) functions as a noun meaning "child" or "young one," often applied to human offspring, young animals, or figuratively to dependents and products derived from a source, such as interest from capital or offshoots in botany.[48] This morpheme appears frequently in compounds (e.g., kodomo for "child" via reduplication) and historically derives from ancient depictions of progeny in East Asian script traditions, emphasizing relational generation.[49] In Hawaiian, "kō" denotes sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum), a staple crop introduced by Polynesian voyagers between approximately 300 and 1000 CE, valued for its sweet juice used in food preservation, medicine, dental hygiene through chewing, and rituals.[50] Cultivation involved over 40 heirloom varieties adapted to island agroecosystems, with the plant's fiber also serving practical purposes like thatching and fishing line, underscoring its pre-colonial economic and cultural centrality before industrial monoculture dominated in the 19th century.[51][52]Name elements
In Japanese nomenclature, "ko" (子) serves as a frequent suffix in female given names, derived from the kanji meaning "child," which historically conveys endearment, innocence, or youthfulness.[53] This element appears in names such as Hanako (花子, "flower child"), Yukiko (雪子, "snow child"), and Aiko (愛子, "love child"), reflecting parental aspirations for the child's qualities.[53] Its usage peaked in traditional naming practices but has declined in recent decades amid shifting preferences away from such diminutive connotations, though it remains recognizable in onomastic studies of pre-1980s cohorts. In Korean given names, "ko" (고) occasionally functions as an initial syllable, often linked to hanja characters signifying "high," "ancient," or "strong," as in Ko-eun (고은), combining "high" with "kindness" or "silver."[54] Unlike the Japanese suffix, Korean instances derive from native Sino-Korean roots rather than the "child" morpheme, with historical influences from Japanese colonial-era naming (where 子 was read as "ja" in Korean, e.g., -ja endings) largely phased out post-1945 in favor of indigenous elements.[55] Empirical data from name registries indicate low but persistent frequency in contemporary South Korean female names, comprising under 1% of registrations in the 2010s.[54]Surnames
East Asian variants
The Korean surname Ko (Hangul: 고; Hanja: 高), meaning "high," derives from ancient indigenous clans differentiated by bon-gwan (clan origins), including the prominent Jeju Ko clan. All Ko clans employ the same hanja character, with historical records indicating ten distinct lineages unified under this orthography.[56] This surname is prevalent in South Korea, ranking among the more frequently occurring family names, and extends to Korean diaspora populations in the United States, Canada, and other Asian nations. Demographic analyses show that over 56% of global Ko surname bearers trace to Koreanic Asia, underscoring its primary association with Korean ethnicity within East Asia.[57] In Chinese usage, Ko romanizes the surname 柯 (pinyin: Kē; Wade-Giles: K'o), denoting an "ax handle" or structural timber, a less common but established lineage with roots in classical nomenclature. Furthermore, among Hokkien-speaking communities in southern China, Taiwan, and overseas enclaves, the widespread surname 高 (pinyin: Gāo, meaning "high")—cognate to the Korean form—is pronounced approximately as /ko/ and occasionally transliterated as Ko in non-standard or dialectal contexts.[58][59]Notable people
With surname Ko
Ko Wen-je (柯文哲, born August 6, 1959) is a Taiwanese politician and trauma surgeon who served as Mayor of Taipei from December 25, 2014, to December 25, 2022.[60] Prior to politics, he advanced emergency medical protocols at National Taiwan University Hospital, including innovations in organ transplantation during crises.[61] As mayor, Ko expanded cycling infrastructure like YouBike stations to over 300 by 2018 and digitized city services for efficiency, earning praise for pragmatic governance amid fiscal constraints.[61] He founded the Taiwan People's Party on August 25, 2019, advocating anti-corruption and youth-focused policies, and garnered 26.46% of the vote as its 2024 presidential candidate.[62] Critics have accused him of inconsistent cross-strait stances and populism, while a 2024 probe into alleged kickbacks from property rezoning during his tenure resulted in his August detention and NT$70 million bail release, highlighting systemic real estate graft risks without proven guilt.[63][64] Lydia Ko (born April 24, 1997), a New Zealand professional golfer of Korean descent, holds 23 LPGA Tour victories as of March 2025, including two majors.[65] She won the 2015 Evian Championship at age 18 years and 4 months, the youngest major champion in LPGA history, and added the 2016 Chevron Championship.[65] Ko claimed Olympic gold in women's golf at the 2024 Paris Games, following a bronze in 2016, and has earned two LPGA Player of the Year honors (2015, 2018) for leading scoring averages.[1] Her technical precision in putting and iron play has driven career earnings exceeding $15 million, though she navigated a form slump from 2017–2021 before resurgence.[3] Munjamyeong of Goguryeo (r. 491–519), from the royal House of Go, ruled the ancient Korean kingdom of Goguryeo as its 21st king after succeeding grandfather Jangsu.[66] His 28-year reign maintained territorial gains from prior expansions, repelling Rouran nomad incursions through fortified borders and cavalry reforms, while fostering agriculture via royal estates.[66] Diplomatic envoys to Southern China's Liu Song and later Liang dynasties secured tribute exchanges, stabilizing southern flanks amid Baekje rivalries. Internal challenges included noble factionalism and a 501 earthquake, prompting administrative centralization, but his death in 519 sparked succession disputes under son Anjang, contributing to later instability.[66]Nicknames or stage names
Karen O is the stage name adopted by singer-songwriter Karen Lee Orzolek, born November 22, 1978, in Busan, South Korea, who gained recognition as the lead vocalist of the indie rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs upon its formation in New York City in 2000.[67][68] The moniker, shortened from her surname, reflected her energetic stage persona during the band's early performances at venues like The Village Gate.[67] Kevin "K.O." Olusola is the professional nickname of singer, beatboxer, and cellist Kevin Oluwole Olusola, born October 5, 1988, in Pasadena, California, who joined the a cappella group Pentatonix in 2011 and popularized the alias through his "celloboxing" performances blending cello and beatboxing.[69][70] In professional wrestling, Kevin Owens serves as the ring name for Kevin Steen, who debuted under it in WWE's NXT developmental territory on December 11, 2014, following a trademark filing earlier that year, and transitioned to the main roster in August 2015 with a high-profile match against John Cena.[71][72] K.O. is the stage name of South African hip-hop artist Ntokozo Mdluli, born October 13, 1980, in Soweto, Johannesburg, who initially rose with the group Teargas before launching a solo career in 2014, marked by the album Skhanda Republic.[73][74]Places
Geographical features
Ko Mountain (Russian: Гора Ко), located in Khabarovsk Krai within the Sikhote-Alin mountain range of Russia's Far East, rises to an elevation of 2,004 meters, ranking as the second-highest peak after Tardoki-Yani at 2,090 meters.[75] The peak forms part of the range's central sector, characterized by steep eastern slopes with deep erosion dissection and alpine terrain supporting specialized vegetation adapted to high-altitude conditions.[76] Its prominence contributes to the hydrological features of the region, feeding into river systems like the Amur basin through rugged valleys.[77] In Southeast Asian geography, "ko" (Thai: เกาะ) denotes islands in general, but standalone landforms precisely named "Ko" as natural features are rare outside composite names; for instance, no major isolated island or hill is documented solely as "Ko" without qualifiers, distinguishing it from prefixed formations like Ko Phi Phi.[78] This etymological use reflects linguistic conventions rather than unique physiographic entities.[79]Settlements and administrative divisions
Ko is a tambon (subdistrict) and village in Li District, Lamphun Province, northern Thailand.[80] Ko. Madhepura was a village development committee in Saptari District, Province No. 2 (formerly Sagarmatha Zone), southeastern Nepal. According to the 2011 National Population and Housing Census conducted by Nepal's Central Bureau of Statistics, it had a total population of 4,608, comprising 2,366 males and 2,242 females across 886 households. Following Nepal's 2015 federal restructuring, former VDCs like Ko. Madhepura were integrated into larger municipalities, though specific merger details for this unit remain undocumented in available census records.Science, technology, and computing
Biological and technical terms
In genetics, KO refers to a gene knockout, a technique in which one or more specific genes are inactivated or "knocked out" in an organism to study gene function, model diseases, or assess loss-of-function effects.[81] This method typically involves targeted disruption of the gene sequence using tools like CRISPR/Cas9 or homologous recombination, producing organisms such as KO mice or KO cell lines that lack the protein product of the targeted gene.[82] Knockouts enable empirical analysis of phenotypic changes, revealing essential gene roles; for instance, single-gene KO strains in yeast have shown genome-wide compensatory mutations in secondary genes.[83] Koenigia is a genus of flowering plants in the Polygonaceae family, comprising annual and perennial species adapted to arctic, alpine, and temperate regions, with characteristics including knotweed-like growth and spinulose pollen.[84] Established by Linnaeus in 1767 with K. islandica as the type species, the genus includes about six species, some endemic to high-elevation habitats, and has been delimited through morphological and pollen studies distinguishing it from related genera like Polygonum.[85] Recent taxonomic revisions, based on phylogenetic evidence, have expanded recognition of species such as K. arunachalensis and K. medogensis in Asian montane floras.[86] In computing, particularly Linux kernel development, .ko files are loadable kernel object files containing compiled modules that extend kernel functionality without recompiling the entire kernel.[87] These ELF-formatted binaries include code for device drivers or features, dynamically loaded via commands likeinsmod or modprobe, and are compressed as .ko.xz in distributions like Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 for efficient storage.[88] The .ko extension distinguishes them from standard object files (.o), incorporating kernel-specific metadata for runtime linking.[89]