Where does “ampersand” come from?

Ampersand comes from Latin per se, meaning "by itself," derived from Latin per meaning "through," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European per- meaning "forward" or "through."

ampersand (English): The symbol "&"; To add an ampersand to

Definitions

  1. The symbol "&"; To add an ampersand to

Ancestry of “ampersand”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinper seby itself
2Latinperthrough, by means of; throughout, during
3LatinAdtoward, to
4Latinilliche, she, it, yonder, that, overthere; in that...
5Latinillethat; those; "; demonstrative pronoun "; that...
6LatinolleArchaic form of ille
7Proto-Italic*olnosthat

Words derived from “ampersand”

Every word from Proto-Italic *olnos →Every word from Latin olle →Every word from Latin ille →