Ampersand

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈæm.pə(ɹ).sænd/

Definitions

1. A logogram used to represent the word 'and' in text, typically shaped as a stylized ligature of the letters 'E' and 'T'
2. A character that combines the letters 'E' and 'T' from Latin to symbolize the conjunction 'and' in writing
3. A typographic symbol derived from the Latin word for 'and', used to connect words or elements in a concise manner

Etymology: The symbol & was once recited as a word in its own right. Schoolchildren learning the alphabet ended it with the phrase "and per se and", meaning "and [the symbol] by itself [stands for] and". Its name came from a mispronunciation of that phrase, which was run together into "ampersand" in British regional and informal speech. The same pattern appeared with other letters. Speakers said "A per se A" for the letter A used as a word, and "I per se I" for the pronoun, so "and per se and" was one of several such constructions. The phrase was used to separate the symbol from "&c.", the abbreviation for "et cetera". The spelling "ampersand" is first recorded in 1795, long after the spoken form had settled into everyday use.

Synonyms: and, plus, conjunction, symbol, logogram