"&" ASCII character 38.Common names: ITU-T, INTERCAL: ampersandamperand. Rare: address (from C)reference (from C++)bitandbackground (from sh)pretzelamp.A common symbol for "and", used as the "address of" operator in C, the "reference" operator in C++ and a bitwiseAND operator in several programming languages.UNIXshells use the character to indicate that a task should be run in the background.The ampersand is a ligature (combination) of the cursive letters "e" and "t", invented in 63 BC by Marcus Tirus [Tiro?] as shorthand for the Latin word for "and", "et".The word ampersand is a conflation (combination) of "and, per se and".Per se means "by itself", and so the phrase translates to "&, standing by itself, means ' and' ".This was at the end of the alphabet as it was recited by children in old English schools.The words ran together and were associated with "&".The "ampersand" spelling dates from 1837.{Take our word for it (http://www.takeourword.com/Issue010.html)}.(2000-10-28)