"&" ASCII character 38. Common names: ITU-T, INTERCAL: ampersand amper and. Rare: address (from C) reference (from C++) bitand background (from sh) pretzel amp. 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)
