asterisk
asterisk Lexical Profile
asterisk Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A star-shaped typographical symbol (*) used in printed or digital text to indicate a footnote, mark an omission, replace letters in censored words, or function as a wildcard character in computing.
"Please refer to the footnote marked with an asterisk at the bottom of the page for the data source."
North American A qualification, exception, or caveat attached to an achievement or statistical record, implying that it was accomplished under questionable or irregular circumstances.
"Critics argued that the championship record deserved an asterisk because the season had been shortened."
• verb
To mark a word, passage, or item of text with a star-shaped symbol (*) in order to call attention to it or refer the reader to a footnote.
"The editor asked the author to asterisk all terms that required further explanation in the glossary."
Word Nuance & Usage
Frequently mispronounced in casual speech as 'asterick' (and sometimes misspelled accordingly), standard pronunciation and spelling retain the final '-isk' cluster.
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Late Latin 'asteriscus', from Ancient Greek 'asteriskos' meaning 'little star', a diminutive of 'aster' (star), originally used by ancient scholars to mark notable or missing passages in manuscripts.