What does asterisk mean?

Definitions for asterisk
ˈæs tə rɪsk; -rɪsk; ˈæs tə rɪks; ˈæs tə rɪkas·ter·isk

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word asterisk.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. asterisk, starverb

    a star-shaped character * used in printing

  2. star, asteriskverb

    mark with an asterisk

    "Linguists star unacceptable sentences"

Wiktionary

  1. asterisknoun

    Symbol (*).

  2. asterisknoun

    A blemish in an otherwise outstanding achievement.

    They came into the tournament highly ranked, but with a little bit of an asterisk as their last two wins had been unconvincing.

  3. asterisknoun

    Alternate of Asteriscus.

  4. asteriskverb

    To mark with an asterisk symbol (*)

  5. Etymology: From asteriscus, from ἀστερίσκος, diminutive of ἀστήρ.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Asterisknoun

    A mark in printing or writing, in form of a little star; as *.

    Etymology: ἀστέϱίσϰος.

    He also published the translation of the Septuagint by itself, having first compared it with the Hebrew, and noted by asterisks what was defective, and by obelisks what was redundant. Nehemiah Grew, Cosmol. Sacra, b. iv.

Wikipedia

  1. Asterisk

    An asterisk (*); from Late Latin asteriscus, from Ancient Greek ἀστερίσκος, asteriskos, "little star", is a typographical symbol or glyph. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as star (as, for example, in the A* search algorithm or C*-algebra). In English, an asterisk is usually five-pointed in sans-serif typefaces, six-pointed in serif typefaces, and six- or eight-pointed when handwritten. It is often used to censor offensive words, and on the Internet, to indicate a correction to a previous message. In computer science, the asterisk is commonly used as a wildcard character, or to denote pointers, repetition, or multiplication.

ChatGPT

  1. asterisk

    An asterisk is a symbol (*) used in text-based content as a typographic character to signify a footnote, annotation, reference mark, multiplication, or the omission of letters or words. It is also used in computing to denote various functions, such as a wildcard character or an emphasis mark in markdown language.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Asterisknoun

    the figure of a star, thus, /, used in printing and writing as a reference to a passage or note in the margin, to supply the omission of letters or words, or to mark a word or phrase as having a special character

  2. Etymology: [L. asteriscus, Gr. , dim. of 'asth`r star. See Aster.]

Wikidata

  1. Asterisk

    An asterisk is a typographical symbol or glyph. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often pronounce it as star, or, more informally, splat. In English, an asterisk is usually five-pointed in sans-serif typefaces, six-pointed in serif typefaces, and six- or eight-pointed when handwritten. It can be used to censor swear words and vulgar or objectionable text. The asterisk is derived from the need of the printers of family trees in feudal times for a symbol to indicate date of birth. The original shape was seven-armed, each arm like a teardrop shooting from the center. In computer science, the asterisk is commonly used as a wildcard character, or to denote pointers, repetition, or multiplication.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Asterisk

    as′tėr-isk, n. a star, used in printing as a reference to a note at the bottom or on the margin of the page, and sometimes as a mark of the omission of words, thus *.—n. As′terism, a group or collection of small stars: a constellation: three asterisks placed to direct attention to a passage: a property of some minerals which show a star-shaped luminous figure when viewed by reflected light—e.g. the asteriated sapphire. [Gr. asteriskos, dim. of aster, a star.]

Matched Categories

Anagrams for asterisk »

  1. sarkiest

  2. skaiters

How to pronounce asterisk?

How to say asterisk in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of asterisk in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of asterisk in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of asterisk in a Sentence

  1. Jonathan Miller:

    As things are now, I'm not sure what causes rents to drop, but a recession is the asterisk in the conversation. The Fed is taking a baseball bat to the economy and there are more rate increases in store. There is still a tremendous amount of uncertainty.

  2. Chuck Schumer:

    The verdict of this kangaroo court will be meaningless. By refusing the facts, by refusing witnesses and documents the Republican majority has placed a giant asterisk, the asterisk of a sham trial, next to the acquittal of President Donald Trump, written in permanent ink, acquittal in an unfair trial with this giant asterisk, the asterisk of a sham trial, is worth nothing at all to President Donald Trump or anybody else.

  3. Debra Katz:

    In the aftermath of these hearings, I believe that Christines testimony brought about more good than the harm misogynist Republicans caused by allowing Kavanaugh on Supreme Court, he will always have an asterisk next to his name. When he takes a scalpel to Roe v. Wade, we will know who he is, we know his character, and we know what motivates him, and that is important.

  4. Thomas Robertson:

    Left are just mad because we actually attacked the government who is the problem … The right IN ONE DAY took the f(asterisk)(asterisk)(asterisk)(asterisk) U.S. Capitol. Keep poking us.

  5. Paula Cannon:

    The big kind of asterisk, if you like, against all of these studies, is that they are really dealing with massively incomplete information, were all guessing what the true infection rates and the case fatality rates are because there isnt widespread uniform testing in every country.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

asterisk#10000#10433#100000

Translations for asterisk

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

Get even more translations for asterisk »

Translation

Find a translation for the asterisk definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"asterisk." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/asterisk>.

Discuss these asterisk definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for asterisk? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Browse Definitions.net

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    warn strongly; put on guard
    A gloat
    B aberrate
    C abrade
    D monish

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for asterisk: