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ampersand

am·per·sand
A a

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [am-per-sand, am-per-sand]
    • /ˈæm pərˌsænd, ˌæm pərˈsænd/
    • /ˈæm.pə.sænd/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [am-per-sand, am-per-sand]
    • /ˈæm pərˌsænd, ˌæm pərˈsænd/

Definitions of ampersand word

  • countable noun ampersand An ampersand is the sign &, used to represent the word 'and.' 3
  • noun ampersand the character (&), meaning and 3
  • noun ampersand a sign (& or 57411) meaning and: it represents the Latin word et (and) 3
  • noun ampersand a character or symbol (& or ) for and : Smith & Jones, Inc. 1
  • noun ampersand The symbol 1
  • noun Definition of ampersand in Technology (character)   "&" ASCII character 38. Common names: ITU-T, INTERCAL: ampersand; amper; and. Rare: address (from C); reference (from C++); bitand; background (from sh); pretzel; amp. A common symbol for "and", used as the "address of" operator in C, the "reference" operator in C++ and a bitwise and or logical and operator in several programming languages. Visual BASIC uses it as the string concatenation operator and to prefix octal and hexadecimal numbers. The ampersand is a ligature (combination) of the cursive letters "e" and "t", invented in 63 BC by Marcus Tirus [Tiro?] as shorthand for the Latin word for "and", "et". The word ampersand is a conflation (combination) of "and, per se and". Per se means "by itself", and so the phrase translates to "&, standing by itself, means 'and'". This was at the end of the alphabet as it was recited by children in old English schools. The words ran together and were associated with "&". The "ampersand" spelling dates from 1837. 1

Information block about the term

Origin of ampersand

First appearance:

before 1820
One of the 38% newest English words
1820-30; contraction of and per se and literally, (the symbol) & by itself (stands for) and; see per se

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Ampersand

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

ampersand popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 73% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

ampersand usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for ampersand

noun ampersand

  • and — You use and to link two or more words, groups, or clauses.
  • symbol — something used for or regarded as representing something else; a material object representing something, often something immaterial; emblem, token, or sign.
  • character — The character of a person or place consists of all the qualities they have that make them distinct from other people or places.

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See also

Matching words

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