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The Learning Kingdom's Cool Word of the Day for July 23, 1999
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ampersand [n. AM-pur-sand]
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An ampersand is the character which means "and." Although it is
not usually used in formal text, it has become quite common in
commercial writing, and is even part of some corporate names. The
ampersand also has special meanings in various computer programming
languages.
The ampersand was invented in 63 BC by a Roman named Tiro as part of
his Latin shorthand system. The symbol is a condensed form of the
Greek word et (and). Depending on which font your computer is using
to show this text, you might be able to see the crossed "t" at the
lower right corner of the "and" symbol.
The English name of the symbol comes from the way English school
children used to say the alphabet. At the end, they would say "X, Y,
Zed, and per se and." The last part refers to the "and" symbol, which
is per se (by itself) the word "and." Over time, "and per se and"
became "ampersand."
Today's Cool Fact is about shorthand systems:
http://www.cool-fact.com/archive/1999/07/23.html
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