Like yocto, its etymological roots lie in the Greek octa yotta signifies one thousand raised to the 8th power, and yocto signifies one thousandth raised to the 8th power.
Whoever thought of appropriating the word for the ugly metal-lattice structures that carry high-tension power lines across the countryside was therefore guilty of both a public-relations triumph and an act of etymological vandalism.
Politicians since at least the Johnson administration have engaged in the technique, and while its etymological origins may be in dispute, the term has since entered wide use, referring to a form of moral suasion, usually by government officials attempting to alter behavior or influence markets.