Ampersand facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Ampersand
two versions
& (italic, 1735)
an elegant italic version

The ampersand ("&") is a logogram.

It represents the Latin conjunction et, meaning "and". The ampersand's symbol is not only a logogram, but also a ligature. It joins the old handwritten Latin letters e and t of the word et, so that the word is represented as a single glyph.

With a c added on it means "et cetera", "and so on".

Images for kids

  • Alphabet with ampersand

    A page from an 1863 textbook displaying the alphabet. Note the & as the 27th character.

  • Epsilon Ampersand

    Example of ampersand based on a crossed epsilon, as might be handwritten.

  • Ampersand-handwriting-1

    Glyph No.1 of writing Ampersand

  • Ampersand-handwriting-2

    Glyph No.2 of writing Ampersand

  • Ampersand-handwriting-3

    Glyph No.3 of writing Ampersand


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Ampersand Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.