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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
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
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Cite this Entry
“Ampersand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ampersand. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ampersand
noun
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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