From: Jim Allan (jallan@smrtytrek.com)
Date: Sun Jul 13 2003 - 14:50:07 EDT
John Cowan posted:
> Not just mediaeval text; "&c." for "etc." (= "et cetera") was common
> right through the 19th century if not later.
The combination _&c_ is still used. Search for "&c" in
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations/environment/tacnh-00.asp for
example.
But in mentioning medieval use I was thinking of use of the ampersand as
a replacement for _et_ in words where _et_ is not the Latin word _et_.
An article I read some years back discussed a medieval listing and
explanation of the Icelandic alphabet which included the _&_ as a letter.
The author of the article explained this by noting that _&_ was used
occasionally in manuscripts to spell _et_ in Icelandic words.
Jim Allan
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