Et
/ɛt/noun
An archaic or formal conjunction meaning “and,” chiefly encountered in Latin phrases and expressions.
Did you know?The ampersand began as a handwritten Latin ligature joining the letters in et, meaning “and”; over centuries, the fused form evolved into &.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*eti
“Also; furthermore; and”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἔτι (eti)
“Still; yet; furthermore”
Classical Latin
Latin
et
“And; also”
Medieval Latin
Latin
et
“And, frequently written as a connected ligature in manuscripts”
8th–9th Century
Latin/Insular script
⁊
“A scribal abbreviation for et, an early ancestor of the ampersand”
18th Century
English
et
“A learned or archaic English conjunction, preserved especially in Latin expressions”
Modern English
English
et
“A formal or archaic “and,” most commonly seen in et cetera and et al.”