asterisk

1 of 2

noun

as·​ter·​isk ˈa-stə-ˌrisk 

 especially in plural also nonstandard  -ˌrik

plural asterisks

1

: the character * used in printing or writing as a reference mark, as an indication of the omission of letters or words, to denote a hypothetical or unattested linguistic form, or for various arbitrary meanings

2

: the character * thought of as being appended to something (such as an athletic accomplishment included in a record book) typically in order to indicate that there is a limiting fact or consideration which makes that thing less important or impressive than it would otherwise be

But the men's triumph came with an asterisk: The Soviets, three-time gold medalists, had boycotted the Games.

—Brad Young

3

: someone or something considered too minor for prominent mention : footnote

At fifty-four, he had followed war from the hills of Italy to the islands of the Pacific to the mountains of Korea, and countless other places already becoming asterisks in the history books.

—William Prochnau

asteriskless

ˈa-stə-ˌrisk-ləs 

adjective

asterisk

2 of 2

verb

asterisked; asterisking; asterisks

transitive verb

: to mark with an asterisk : star

Did you know?

If someone asked you to associate the word asterisk with a heavenly body, you would probably have no problem relating it to a star - even if you didn't know that the word asterisk derives from "asteriskos," a Greek word meaning "little star." "Asterisk" has been a part of the constellation of English since at least the late 1300s, but it is far from the only shining star in our language. The Greek forms astēr, "astro," and "astrum" (all of which mean "star") still cast their light in English by way of such words as "asteroid," "astral," and "disaster" (which originally meant "an unfavorable aspect of a planet or star"). Even "star" itself is a distant relative of "asterisk."

Examples of asterisk in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

An asterisk has been placed by states where Harris is leading but the race hasn't yet been officially called. —Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 6 Nov. 2024

Strategists of both parties aggressively argue that 2020 should be treated as an asterisk—a complete abnormality of a campaign season given the ongoing pandemic. —Philip Elliott, TIME, 30 Oct. 2024

Verb

The game validated all of the improvement that was asterisked by the low level of Ohio State's competition since the loss to Oklahoma. —Mary Kay Cabot, cleveland.com, 31 Oct. 2017

The movie made $60 million domestically (another $40 million internationally, asterisked by the fact that this was the era before international box-office dominated performance) on a budget of $66 million. —Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 May 2017

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English asterichos, astarisces (plural), borrowed from Late Latin asteriscus, borrowed from Late Greek asterískos, going back to Greek, diminutive of aster-, astḗr "star" — more at star entry 1

Verb

derivative of asterisk entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1612, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1733, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

asterisk

noun

as·​ter·​isk

ˈas-tə-ˌrisk

: a symbol * used especially to refer a reader to a note

Etymology

Noun

Middle English astarisc "asterisk," derived from Greek asteriskos, literally "little star," from aster-, astēr "star"