> I think it was originally "fußball", with the 'ß' being pronounced like an 's'.

The ß is actually a double s, so it could also be written "fussball". The ß symbol is a ligature. "Ligature" means binding, tying, joining together, and in typography, it means joining letters together, like æ, œ etc. In print, fi, ff, fl and ffi are the most common ligatures. For more on ligatures, follow the link below.

The ß is a ligature of a long-s (looking like an f without the dash across it), and a latin s. In the old times' calligraphy, the s was often written like that (the dashless f). I don't know why, or what the rules were for using one over the other, but I know that double s'es were written with the long-s first, then the latin one.


Trav"maybe someone else more proficient in calligraphy (or with more time to search the Internet) can elaborate and educate us on that matter"holt.