ampersand
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ampersand
- /ˈæmpəsænd/ UK
- /ˈæmpəɹˌsænd/ US
Where it comes from
The noun is a British regional or informal pronunciation of the phrase and per se and (literally “the & symbol by itself [representing the word] and”), which was used to distinguish the & symbol from &c. (“et cetera, etc.”) Compare other constructions such as A per se a (“A as a word by itself”; whence A-per-se), I per se I (the pronoun I), and O per se O (the particle O). The spelling ampersand is first attested in 1795: see the quotation.
The verb is derived from the noun.
noun ampersands · amperzand
verb ampersands · ampersanding · ampersanded
- To add an ampersand (“the symbol &”) to (a text). The Thames & Severn and Wilts & Berks Canals had quite a lot in common apart from location and ampersanded names.
- To associate (someone or something) with another person or thing; also, to associate (two or more persons or things) together; to add, to combine, to join. But those whom truest love hath ampersanded, / Will never find the marriage countermanded.
- To move in a twisting or winding manner, like the curves of an ampersand; to meander, to twist, to wind. And I put my heels on the grass, and lifted up my weight with my hands, and ampersanded forwards that way until I got near the tree, when I took up my rifle, and made all ready.
Translations
Every language
noun the symbol &
| Español | ampersand, et, y comercial |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 앰퍼샌드 aempeosaendeu |
| 日本語 | アンパサンド anpasando, アンド ando |
| 中文 | 和號 /和号 héhào |
| हिन्दी | ऐंपरसैंड a͠iparsaiṇḍ |
| Kiswahili | ampasendi |
| Português | e comercial, sinal tironiano |
| Français | esperluète, esperluette, et commercial, perluète |
| Deutsch | Et-Zeichen, Kaufmanns-Und |
| Italiano | ampersand, e commerciale |
| Ελληνικά | συμπλεκτικό σύμβολο symplektikó sýmvolo |
| Română | ampersand, semnul ? & și |
| Русский | амперса́нд ampersánd, знак конъю́нкции znak konʺjúnkcii |
| Tiếng Việt | ký hiệu "và" |
| العربية | وَاو اَللَّاتِينِيَّة wāw al-lātīniyya |
| עברית | אָמְפֵּרְסָנְד ámpersand |
Talk about this word "ampersand." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ampersand. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. ampersand. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ampersand "ampersand." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ampersand.Cite this
@misc{ampersand_2026,
title = {ampersand},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ampersand},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
