Dictionary entry

Asterisk

Webster's Dictionary 1913

As″ter‐isk (�), n. [L. asteriscus, Gr. �, dim. of αστἤρ 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.