AMPERSAND | &

Once considered the 27th character of the alphabet, the shape of the character “&” predates the word ampersand by more than 1,500 years. In the first century, Roman scribes wrote in cursive, so when they wrote the Latin word et which means “and,” they linked the e and t. Over time the combined letters came to signify the word “and” in English as well. Certain versions of the ampersand, like the italic version in the typeface Caslon, clearly reveal the origin of the shape.

The word ampersand came many years later when the “&” was taught as part of the English alphabet. In the early 1800s, school children reciting their ABCs concluded the alphabet with the “&.” Since it would have been awkward to say “X, Y, Z, and,” students finished with “and per se and.” Per se means “by itself,” so the students were essentially saying, “X, Y, Z, and by itself, and.” Over time, “and per se and” was slurred together into the word we use today: ampersand.