Trivia.com
The & was originally the 27th letter of the English alphabet with "&" = "and". The word "Per se" ["by itself"] was stuck at the end of the alphabet. Over time, "and per se" got mashed together into ampersand.
The & was originally the 27th letter of the English alphabet with "&" = "and". The word "Per se" ["by itself"] was stuck at the end of the alphabet. Over time, "and per se" got mashed together into ampersand.