The ampersand symbol originated in Latin, where 'et' denotes 'and.' The character '&' originated as a cursive combination of the letters 'e' and 't', giving rise to its contemporary form.

The symbol ‘&’, known as the ampersand, was once considered a letter in the English alphabet before it was removed. Originating in Pompeii in the first century CE, it came from the Latin ‘et ...