Because tiny words should be contracted further, Marcus Tirus invented the ampersand in 63BC as a scripty contraction of the two letters making up   "et", the Latin word for "and". The word "ampersand" itself derives from the expression "& (and), per se and" which was tacked on to charts of the alphabet recited by children in school. And if you look long enough at one, you'll see a side-on view of a fat child with its legs crossed ... honest! DP

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