The History of the Ampersand: Meet the 27th Letter

The Ampersand. It might be one of the most iconic symbols used in the English language. It's elegant, interesting and kind of fun.

But where did it come from?

To save space, Roman scribes would link the e and the t in the word 'et,' which is the Latin word for 'and.' The symbol took on a shape very similar to an ampersand. The symbol continued to be used in the Old English alphabet and was carried forward into modern English.

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