asterisk

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

asterisk
    n 1: a star-shaped character * used in printing [syn:
         {asterisk}, {star}]
    v 1: mark with an asterisk; "Linguists star unacceptable
         sentences" [syn: {star}, {asterisk}]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Asterisk \As"ter*isk\, n. [L. asteriscus, Gr. ?, dim. of 'asth`r
   star. See {Aster}.]
   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.
   [1913 Webster]

from The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)

asterisk

   <character> "*" {ASCII} code 42.  Common names include: star;
   {INTERCAL}: {splat}; {ITU-T}: asterisk.  Rare: {wild card};
   gear; dingle; mult; spider; aster; times; twinkle; {glob};
   {Nathan Hale}.

   Commonly used as the multiplication operator and as the
   {Kleene star}.  Often doubled, as in "x**2", to mean "to the
   power".  In {C} and related languages, asterisk is used as the
   {dereference} operator, "*p" meaning "the thing pointed to by
   p".

   (2006-09-10)