Definition of AMPERSAND

ampersand

Meanings

Plural: ampersands

Noun

  • a punctuation mark (&) used to represent conjunction (and)
  • The symbol "&".

Verb

  • To add an ampersand to.

Origin / Etymology

A mondegreen of and per se and, ⟨&⟩ being read as “and”. Letters used by themselves were formerly mentioned according to this pattern, as in “O per se O” for the particle O or “I per se I” for the pronoun I. “And per se and” thus meant ⟨&⟩ by itself, as opposed to forms such as &c. The specific form ampersand is first attested in 1796, originally as a mocking pronunciation spelling.

Synonyms

epershand

Scrabble Score: 14

ampersand is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
ampersand is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
ampersand is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 17

ampersand is a valid Words With Friends word