asterisk means A small star; also (by extension), something resembling or shaped like a star.
asterisk is pronounced /ˈæstəɹɪsk/.
Why “asterisk” is a great word
The typographical symbol (*) used to indicate a footnote, omission, or other annotation. From Late Latin asteriscus ("asterisk; small star"), from Ancient Greek ἀστερίσκος (asteriskos, "little star"), from ἀστήρ (astēr, "star") + the diminutive suffix -ίσκος (-iskos). Unlike the obelus (†), a sequential dagger for a second footnote, or the generic "star," a celestial body or geometric shape, the asterisk is the modest workhorse of the printed page—a tiny stellar echo pressed into service as a textual signpost. It is the raised eyebrow in a legal document, the whispered aside in a scholarly text, the faint prickle of a footnote's afterthought—the smallest constellation ever meant to be read, not seen, guiding us through the dark matter of what lies between the lines.
Etymology
The noun is derived from Middle English asterisk [and other forms], from Late Latin asteriscus (“asterisk; small star”), from Ancient Greek ἀστερῐ́σκος (asterĭ́skos, “asterisk; small star”), from ᾰ̓στήρ (ăstḗr, “celestial body (star, planet, and other lights in the sky such as meteors)”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eHs- (“to burn; to glow”)) + -ῐ́σκος (-ĭ́skos, diminutive suffix). Doublet of asteriscus and piecewise doublet of starrish. Noun sense 1.1.2 (“something which is of little importance or which is marginal”) refers to the use of an asterisk to denote a footnote or marginal note in a text; in other words, information that is not important enough to be incorporated into the main text. Noun sense 1.1.3 (“blemish in an otherwise outstanding achievement”) refers to the use
noun
- A small star; also (by extension), something resembling or shaped like a star.
- A small star; also (by extension), something resembling or shaped like a star.; The star-shaped symbol *, which is used in printing and writing for various purposes, including to refer a reader to a note at the bottom of a page or in a margin, and to indicate the omission of letters or words; a star.
- A small star; also (by extension), something resembling or shaped like a star.; The star-shaped symbol *, which is used in printing and writing for various purposes, including to refer a reader to a note at the bottom of a page or in a margin, and to indicate the omission of letters or words; a star.; Something resembling or shaped like an asterisk symbol.
- A small star; also (by extension), something resembling or shaped like a star.; The star-shaped symbol *, which is used in printing and writing for various purposes, including to refer a reader to a note at the bottom of a page or in a margin, and to indicate the omission of letters or words; a star.; Something which is of little importance or which is marginal; a footnote.e.g.“I don't want to be an asterisk in my kids' lives. I don't want to be just some guy who sporadically appears and then disappears again.” — 2016, Charles [Wesley] Marshall, “More SkyMiles, Less Family”, in The Good Dad Guide, Eugene, Or.: Harvest House Publishers, →ISBN, part 6 (Prevent), page 142:
- A small star; also (by extension), something resembling or shaped like a star.; The star-shaped symbol *, which is used in printing and writing for various purposes, including to refer a reader to a note at the bottom of a page or in a margin, and to indicate the omission of letters or words; a star.; A blemish in an otherwise outstanding achievement.e.g.“They came into the tournament highly ranked, but with a little bit of an asterisk as their last two wins had been unconvincing.”
- A small star; also (by extension), something resembling or shaped like a star.; An instrument with radiating arms resembling a star which is placed over the diskos (or paten) used during the Eucharist to prevent the veil covering the chalice and diskos from touching the host on the diskos.
verb
- To mark or replace (text, etc.) with an asterisk symbol (*; noun sense 1.1); to star.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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