: a character typically & standing for the word and
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Despite appearances, the history of ampersand owes nothing to amp or sand. The familiar character & derives from a symbol that was used in place of the Latin word et, which also means "and." In the late Middle Ages, single letters used as words—words like I—were, when spelled, incorporated into a phrase that clarified that they were in fact individual words. For I the phrase was I per se, I, which in Latin means "I by itself (is the word) I". In early lists of the alphabet, Z was followed by the symbol &, which was rendered & per se, and, meaning "& by itself (is the word) and." Over the years, that phrase (which when spoken aloud was pronounced "and per se and") was shortened by English speakers to ampersand.
Examples of ampersand in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebPerhaps the producers behind the ampersand and plus-sign versions of the Shakespeare classic will wait and see whether two Jay Gatsbys bring the adaptation-happy party to a screeching halt.—Andrew Zucker, Washington Post, 19 June 2024 That's like the letter S and then an ampersand, and then the letter B.—Michael Calore, WIRED, 21 Dec. 2023 Where to Buy The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Novel Online
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is based on the best-selling novel of the same name (without the ampersand) by Suzanne Collins.—Rudie Obias, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Dec. 2023 The Craft & Folk Art Museum lost an ampersand but gained a new identity.—Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2023 At the same time, Gosling’s Ken wrestles with his relevance, and the matter of being little more than Barbie’s appendage, someone who wouldn’t exist without an ampersand.—Brian Lowry, CNN, 19 July 2023 The pockets on all aprons are ripstop and have the classic Hadley & Bennett rubberized ampersand on the chest pocket in each character's signature color.—Anthony Karcz, Forbes, 4 May 2023 There’s clearly an ampersand.—Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 July 2022 The funny is in the ampersand, right?—Danyel Smith, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ampersand.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
alteration of and (&) per se and, literally, (the character) & by itself (is the word) and
from older and per se and, spoken form of the phrase & per se and, which followed Z in early lists of letters of the alphabet and meant "(the character) & by itself (stands for) and"
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