AMPERSAND

views updated May 18 2018

AMPERSAND. A printer's term for the characters & and æ, originally forms of Latin et (and), as in Gilbert & Sullivan. Both & and £ (short for libra pound) survive from the system of ABBREVIATION used by medieval scribes. Once a common replacement for and, it is now largely a flourish on business cards and letter-heads. It also occurs in &c, a variant of etc. It is short for and per se and: ‘and by itself (means) and’.

Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language TOM McARTHUR

ampersand

views updated May 29 2018

am·per·sand / ˈampərˌsand/ • n. the sign & (standing for and, as in Smith & Co., or the Latin et, as in &c.).

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

ampersand

views updated May 14 2018

ampersand the sign &, standing for and, as in Smith & Co, or Latin et, as in &c.. The word is recorded from the mid 19th century, and is an alteration of and per se and ‘& by itself is and’, chanted as an aid to learning the sign.

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES