Word of the Day -- Ampersand

I just read this great short article about the origin of what was almost our 27th letter in the alphabet, the

Ampersand -- a character typically & standing for the word and.

 

I was always intrigued by this word.  It was something you saw all the time but didn't really know the actual name of, it was just the symbol you put down for the word "and".  

 

Check out this nifty little history of ampersand on Merriam-Webster...