A common symbol for "and", used as the "address of" operator
in C, the "reference" operator in C++ and a bitwise
AND operator in several programming languages.
UNIX shells 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.
