Ampersand

Symbol representing the word "and" (&) Ampersand&UsageWriting systemLatin scriptTypeLogographicand IdeographicLanguage of originLatin languageIn UnicodeU+0026Lexicographic position(27)HistoryDevelopment𐌄𐌕ETet&Time periodc. 100 CE to presentDescendants • ⅋SistersGreek letter ϗ (ligature of κ, α and ι similarly to &)Armenian letter և (ligature of ե and ւ, pronounced /jɛv/; եւ is the Armenian word for "and");Sindhi letter, ۽Transliterationsplus sign, +OtherAssociated graphs&c.Writing directionLeft-to-right The ampersand, also known as the and sign, is the logogram &, representing the conjunction "and". It originated as a ligature of the word et (Latin for 'and'). Etymology Ampersand: the sign & the name being a corruption of 'and per se = and'; i.e. '& by itself = and'. The sign derives from the scribes' ligature for the Latin: et in certain italic versions, the letters e and t are clearly distinguishable.— Geoffrey Glaister, Glossary of the Book Traditionally in English, when spelling aloud, any letter that could also be used as a word in itself ("A", "I", and "O") was referred to by the Latin expression per se (by itself), as in "per se A" or "A per se A". The