Origin of Three Common Things.
Some of our most common symbols have interesting derivations. Take, for instance, the dollar sign ($), which every one knows and loves—to a more or less extent. Several explanations have been given of its origin. The most probable is that it is a modification of the figure 8, denoting the famous "piece of eight" of pirate lore, a Spanish silver piece of the value of our dollar. Another theory is that it represents the scroll and pillars depicted on certain Spanish coins. Still another makes us question whether it is not a monogram of the letters "U.S." It has even been stated that this mark at one time appeared on the flag of Saragossa, a city famous for its two months' siege by the French in 1808.
The symbol Rx, standing for recipe—take—was originally the symbol for Jupiter, a sign placed at the head of a medical formula to propitiate Jove, that the compound might act favorably. The character & is a corruption of the Latin word et, the letters being written as one.