different between asterisk vs metacharacter

English

Alternative forms

• asterisc
• asterix (eye dialect)

Etymology

From Late Latin asteriscus, from Ancient Greek ?????????? (asterískos, “a little star, asterisk, used in manuscripts to mark passages”), diminutive of ????? (ast?r, “a star”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?æst???sk/, /?æst??sk/

Noun

asterisk (plural asterisks)

1. The symbol *.
2. Something in the shape of or resembling the asterisk symbol.
3. (sports, US) A blemish in an otherwise outstanding achievement.

   They came into the tournament highly ranked, but with a little bit of an asterisk as their last two wins had been unconvincing.

Translations

See also

Typography

Verb

asterisk (third-person singular simple present asterisks, present participle asterisking, simple past and past participle asterisked)

1. (transitive) To mark or replace with an asterisk symbol (*); star.

Related terms

• aster
• asterism
• asteroid

Further reading

• asterisk in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• asterisk in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• sarkiest, skaiters

Danish

Noun

asterisk c (singular definite asterisken, plural indefinite asterisker)

1. asterisk

Inflection

Swedish

Noun

asterisk c

1. asterisk

Declension

English

Etymology

meta- +? character

Pronunciation

Noun

metacharacter (plural metacharacters)

1. (computing) A character used to signify something other than its literal form, such as the asterisk when used as a wildcard.

Translations