# ampersand

Pronunciation: US say "AM-pur-sand" /ˈæm.pɚ.sænd/; UK say "AM-puh-sand" /ˈæm.pə(ɹ).sænd/

## Noun

1. The symbol &, used in writing to stand for the word and.
   - Simple: The written sign & that stands for the word and.
   - _Designers often place an ampersand between the founders' surnames in a firm's name._
   - _Texting quickly, she dropped an ampersand into the note instead of spelling out the whole word._

## Verb

2. To insert an ampersand into a name, title, or other piece of text. *(rare)*
   - Simple: To put an ampersand into a name or piece of writing.

## Origin

"Ampersand" is a run-together pronunciation of "and per se and," which meant the symbol ⟨&⟩ read by itself as "and": following an old pattern like "O per se O." The specific form "ampersand" is first attested in 1795, though the name for the symbol appears as early as 1777 (as "ampuse and").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/ampersand (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).