asterisk
a star shaped symbol
TRANSLATION
asterisk = (*), Sternzeichen, Sternchen asterisk symbol = Sternchensymbol marked with an asterisk = mit einem Sternchen gekennzeichnet to asterisk sth. = etw. mit einem Sternchen versehen --- GOOGLE INDEX asterisk: approximately 18,500,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Instead of the full credit card number, a series of ASTERISKS appear. If a receipt then gets into the wrong hands, the person trying to criminally exploit it does not have all the crucial information.
(adapted from BBC News)
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As soon as you begin to enter information in the row marked with an ASTERISK, a new row is created.
(www.unesco.org)
(adapted from BBC News)
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As soon as you begin to enter information in the row marked with an ASTERISK, a new row is created.
(www.unesco.org)
Did you
know?
asterisk
noun
- the symbol (*) which is used to refer readers to a note at the bottom of a page of text, or to show that a letter is missing from a word
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
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WORD ORIGIN
An asterisk (*) is a typographical symbol or glyph that resembles a conventional image of a star. The word comes from the Latin "asteriscum" and the Greek "asteriskos" meaning little star.
The asterisk is derived from the need of the printers of family trees in feudal times as a symbol to indicate date of birth. The original shape was six-armed, each arm like a teardrop extending from the centre. For this reason it is sometimes called a splat by computer professionals. This is likely because it gives the appearance of a squashed bug (splat is an imitative word to describe a smacking or slashing sound or noise).
Many cultures have their own version of the asterisk. In East Asia a character with a similar use looks like an X with dots surrounding it. This mark looks like the Chinese character for rice. The Arabic asterisk is six-pointed. In some fonts the asterisk is five-pointed and the Arabic star is eight-pointed.
The asterisk is used primarily to make reference to a footnote in a document, to indicate when something has been omitted in a text or word, or to reference an unattested word or sound. The word can also be used as a verb as in: "Make sure you asterisk the first sentence in the third paragraph".
As a noun, the word asterisk can also note an exception to something that might not be readily apparent: "The mobile phone provider delivers many innovative services, but the only asterisk is the high overseas roaming charges". The implication here is that in a description of the company's services, the roaming charges are probably hidden somewhere in "fine print."
(sources: Wikipedia, American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language)
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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"I marked the most relevant sections of the report with an asterisk."
noun
- the symbol (*) which is used to refer readers to a note at the bottom of a page of text, or to show that a letter is missing from a word
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
---
WORD ORIGIN
An asterisk (*) is a typographical symbol or glyph that resembles a conventional image of a star. The word comes from the Latin "asteriscum" and the Greek "asteriskos" meaning little star.
The asterisk is derived from the need of the printers of family trees in feudal times as a symbol to indicate date of birth. The original shape was six-armed, each arm like a teardrop extending from the centre. For this reason it is sometimes called a splat by computer professionals. This is likely because it gives the appearance of a squashed bug (splat is an imitative word to describe a smacking or slashing sound or noise).
Many cultures have their own version of the asterisk. In East Asia a character with a similar use looks like an X with dots surrounding it. This mark looks like the Chinese character for rice. The Arabic asterisk is six-pointed. In some fonts the asterisk is five-pointed and the Arabic star is eight-pointed.
The asterisk is used primarily to make reference to a footnote in a document, to indicate when something has been omitted in a text or word, or to reference an unattested word or sound. The word can also be used as a verb as in: "Make sure you asterisk the first sentence in the third paragraph".
As a noun, the word asterisk can also note an exception to something that might not be readily apparent: "The mobile phone provider delivers many innovative services, but the only asterisk is the high overseas roaming charges". The implication here is that in a description of the company's services, the roaming charges are probably hidden somewhere in "fine print."
(sources: Wikipedia, American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language)
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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"I marked the most relevant sections of the report with an asterisk."
