ampersand, term used to refer to the symbol &, which stems from the ligature of the Latin word et, meaning “and.” The term ampersand is derived from “and per se and.” The symbol has also been used as part of &c in lieu of etc. (et cetera).

An ampersand is a symbol (&) representing the word and. The ampersand was included in the Old English alphabet, and the term is an alteration of and per se and. The symbol is a combination (or ligature) of the letters in et, Latin for "and."

The ampersand (&), also referred to as the and sign, is a logogram (a diagram standing for a word). It represents the Latin conjunction et, which means and. The ampersand symbol is not only a logogram, but also a ligature.

The ampersand is short-hand for the word "and". It is typically seen in company names and various abbreviations. We use the asterisk to point to an annotation or footnote. It can also be used as a substitute for letters in a swear word ("Oh f***!") or to make a name anonymous (Mr M***).