Monday Musings - Ampersand

 I checked the National Day Calendar to help me decide what to muse about and discovered today is National Ampersand Day. You know that cute little character that stands for "and" in most things I/we write to save time. So, I researched its beginnings, and this is what I found.

        

Did you know the ampersand used to be the last letter of the alphabet? Me either! According to the description on the National Day Calendar, it is a ligature of the letters E & T, and the word "et"  in Latin, means "and."  Got that? 

It's more than a fancy way to say "and." Its roots go back to Ancient Rome, where the scribes mashed the letters E and T from the Latin word et to save space. This ligature evolved over the centuries, taking on the curvy, stylized form we see today. 

The ampersand is everywhere, hiding in plain sight. We are so used to seeing it, we rarely pay attention. It will show up on a coffee shop sign, a book cover, or even the keyboard I'm typing on. 

So here's to the small, mighty, and endlessly useful ampersand!