 The Tironian "et" (⁊) is found in Old Irish language script, a Latin-based script generally only used for decorative purposes today, where it signifies ("and") in Irish.This symbol may have entered the script language by way of monastic influence in the time of the early Christian church in Ireland.In everyday handwriting, the ampersand is sometimes simplified in design as a large lowercase epsilon or a reversed numeral , superimposed by a vertical line.