Asterisk
Encyclopedia
An asterisk is a typographical symbol or glyph
. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often pronounce it as star (as, for example, in the A* search algorithm or C*-algebra). In English, an asterisk is usually five-pointed in sans-serif
typeface
s, six-pointed in serif
typefaces, and six- or eight-pointed when handwritten.
The asterisk is derived from the need of the printers of family trees in feudal times for a symbol to indicate date of birth. The original shape was seven-armed, each arm like a teardrop shooting from the center. For this reason, in some computer circles it is called a splat, perhaps due to the "squashed-bug" appearance of the asterisk on many early line printers. Many cultures have their own unique versions of the asterisk.
In computer science
, the asterisk is commonly used as a wildcard character
, or to denote pointers, repetition, and multiplication
.
, an asterisk immediately before a word indicates that the word is not directly attested, but has been reconstructed
on the basis of other linguistic material (see also comparative method
).
In the following example, the Proto-Germanic word ainlif is a reconstructed form.
A double asterisk indicates a form that would be expected according to rule, but is not actually found:
, especially syntax
, an asterisk in front of a word or phrase indicates that the word or phrase is ungrammatical
.
An asterisk before a parenthesis indicates that the lack of the word or phrase inside is ungrammatical, while an asterisk after a parenthesis indicates that the existence of the word or phrase inside is ungrammatical.
Since a word marked with an asterisk could mean either "unattested" or "impossible", it is important in some contexts to distinguish these meanings. Authors generally retain asterisk for "unattested", and prefix ˣ, **, or a superscript "?" for the latter meaning.
s and calculator
s use the asterisk as a symbol for multiplication
. It also has a number of special meanings in specific languages, for instance:
like C
, PHP
, Java, or C#, comments (parts of the code not intended to be compiled into the program) are marked by an asterisk combined with the slash:
/* Here is a comment.
The compiler will ignore it. */
Some Pascal
-like programming languages, for example, Object Pascal
, Modula-2
, Modula-3
, and Oberon
, as well as several other languages including ML, Mathematica
, AppleScript
, OCaml, Standard ML
, and Maple
, use an asterisk combined with a parenthesis:
(* This is a comment.
The compiler will ignore it. *)
CSS
, while not strictly a programming language, also uses the slash-star comment format.
body {
/* This ought to make the text more readable for far-sighted people */
text-size:24pt;
}
. The following list highlights some common uses and is not exhaustive.
stand-alone:
as a unary operator, denoted in prefix notation:
as a unary operator, written as a subscript:
as a unary operator, written as a superscript:
as a binary operator, in infix notation
:
The asterisk is used in all branches of mathematics to designate a correspondence between two quantities denoted by the same letter – one with the asterisk and one without.
character U+2217 "math asterisk" is available (HTML entity ∗). This character also appeared in the position of the regular asterisk in the PostScript
symbol character set in the Symbol font included with Windows and Macintosh operating systems and with many printers. It should be used in fine typography for a large asterisk that lines up with the other mathematical operators.
of results when testing hypotheses
. When the likelihood that a result occurred by chance alone is below a certain level, one or more asterisks are displayed. Popular significance levels are 0.05 (*), 0.01 (**), and 0.001 (***).
keypad, the asterisk (called star, or less commonly, palm or sextile
) is one of the two special keys (the other is the number sign
(pound sign or hash or, less commonly, octothorp or square)), and is found to the left of the zero. They are used to navigate menus in Touch-Tone systems such as Voice mail, or in Vertical service code
s.
are made, it is customary to fix the mistake by sending another message, adding an asterisk to the beginning or end of the fixed line. Sometimes only a single word is corrected in this way, if it's obvious where the mistake was in the original message.
When the writer wants to explain actions in a kind of 'narrated' style while messaging, verbs are sometimes written between two asterisks, such as "*nods*" or "*shakes head*". This is known as an "emote
".
, who has been accused of using performance-enhancing drugs
during his baseball career, invoked the asterisk notion as he approached and later broke Hank Aaron's career home run record. After Bonds hit his record-breaking 756th home run on August 7, 2007, fashion designer and enterpreneur Marc Ecko
purchased the home run ball from the fan who caught it, and ran a poll on his Web site to determine its fate. On September 26, Ecko revealed on NBC's Today show that the ball will be branded with an asterisk and donated to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The ball, marked with a die-cut asterisk, was finally delivered to the hall on July 2, 2008 after Marc Ecko unconditionally donated the artifact rather than loaning it to the hall as originally intended.
standard states that the asterisk is distinct from the Arabic five pointed star (U+066D), the asterisk operator (U+2217), and the heavy asterisk (U+2731).
The symbols are compared below (the display depends on your browser's font).
Glyph
A glyph is an element of writing: an individual mark on a written medium that contributes to the meaning of what is written. A glyph is made up of one or more graphemes....
. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often pronounce it as star (as, for example, in the A* search algorithm or C*-algebra). In English, an asterisk is usually five-pointed in sans-serif
Sans-serif
In typography, a sans-serif, sans serif or san serif typeface is one that does not have the small projecting features called "serifs" at the end of strokes. The term comes from the French word sans, meaning "without"....
typeface
Typeface
In typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly....
s, six-pointed in serif
Serif
In typography, serifs are semi-structural details on the ends of some of the strokes that make up letters and symbols. A typeface with serifs is called a serif typeface . A typeface without serifs is called sans serif or sans-serif, from the French sans, meaning “without”...
typefaces, and six- or eight-pointed when handwritten.
The asterisk is derived from the need of the printers of family trees in feudal times for a symbol to indicate date of birth. The original shape was seven-armed, each arm like a teardrop shooting from the center. For this reason, in some computer circles it is called a splat, perhaps due to the "squashed-bug" appearance of the asterisk on many early line printers. Many cultures have their own unique versions of the asterisk.
In computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
, the asterisk is commonly used as a wildcard character
Wildcard character
-Telecommunication:In telecommunications, a wildcard character is a character that may be substituted for any of a defined subset of all possible characters....
, or to denote pointers, repetition, and multiplication
Multiplication
Multiplication is the mathematical operation of scaling one number by another. It is one of the four basic operations in elementary arithmetic ....
.
Typography
- The asterisk is used to call out a footnoteFootnoteA note is a string of text placed at the bottom of a page in a book or document or at the end of a text. The note can provide an author's comments on the main text or citations of a reference work in support of the text, or both...
, especially when there is only one on the page. Less commonly, multiple asterisks are used to denote different footnotes on a page. (i.e., *, **, ***) Typically, an asterisk is positioned after a word or phrase and preceding its accompanying footnote. - Three spaced asterisks centered on a page may represent a jump to a different scene or thought.
- A group of three asterisks arranged in a triangular formation is called an asterismAsterism (typography)In typography, an asterism, from the Greek astēr , is a rarely used, and "nearly obsolete", symbol consisting of three asterisks placed in a triangle . It is used to, "indicate minor breaks in text," call attention to a passage, or to separate sub-chapters in a book...
. - One or more asterisks may be used to strike out portions of a word to avoid offending by using the full form of a profanity (f**kFuck"Fuck" is an English word that is generally considered obscene which, in its most literal meaning, refers to the act of sexual intercourse. By extension it may be used to negatively characterize anything that can be dismissed, disdained, defiled, or destroyed."Fuck" can be used as a verb, adverb,...
), to preserve anonymity (Peter J***), or to avoid profanation of a holy name, especially in Jewish usage (G*dGodGod is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
). - Asterisks are sometimes used as an alternative to typographical bulletsBullet (typography)In typography, a bullet is a typographical symbol or glyph used to introduce items in a list. For example:*Item 1*Item 2*Item 3...
to indicate items of a list. - Asterisks can be used in textual media to represent *emphasisEmphasis (typography)In typography, emphasis is the exaggeration of words in a text with a font in a different style from the rest of the text—to emphasize them.- Methods and use :...
* when bold text is not available (e.g. emailEmailElectronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
).
Historical linguistics
In historical linguisticsHistorical linguistics
Historical linguistics is the study of language change. It has five main concerns:* to describe and account for observed changes in particular languages...
, an asterisk immediately before a word indicates that the word is not directly attested, but has been reconstructed
Linguistic reconstruction
Linguistic reconstruction is the practice of establishing the features of the unattested ancestor of one or more given languages. There are two kinds of reconstruction. Internal reconstruction uses irregularities in a single language to make inferences about an earlier stage of that language...
on the basis of other linguistic material (see also comparative method
Comparative method
In linguistics, the comparative method is a technique for studying the development of languages by performing a feature-by-feature comparison of two or more languages with common descent from a shared ancestor, as opposed to the method of internal reconstruction, which analyzes the internal...
).
In the following example, the Proto-Germanic word ainlif is a reconstructed form.
-
* ainlif → endleofan → eleven
A double asterisk indicates a form that would be expected according to rule, but is not actually found:
- For the plural, **kubar would be expected, but separate masculine plural akābir أكابر and feminine plural kubrayāt كبريات are found as irregular forms.
Generativist tradition in linguistics
In generativismGenerative linguistics
Generative linguistics is a school of thought within linguistics that makes use of the concept of a generative grammar. The term "generative grammar" is used in different ways by different people, and the term "generative linguistics" therefore has a range of different, though overlapping,...
, especially syntax
Syntax
In linguistics, syntax is the study of the principles and rules for constructing phrases and sentences in natural languages....
, an asterisk in front of a word or phrase indicates that the word or phrase is ungrammatical
Grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
.
- wake her up / *wake up her
An asterisk before a parenthesis indicates that the lack of the word or phrase inside is ungrammatical, while an asterisk after a parenthesis indicates that the existence of the word or phrase inside is ungrammatical.
- go *(to) the station
- go (*to) home
Ambiguity
Since a word marked with an asterisk could mean either "unattested" or "impossible", it is important in some contexts to distinguish these meanings. Authors generally retain asterisk for "unattested", and prefix ˣ, **, or a superscript "?" for the latter meaning.
Music
- In musical notation the sign indicates when the sustain pedalSustain pedalA sustain pedal or sustaining pedal is the most commonly used pedal in a modern piano. It is typically the rightmost of two or three pedals. When pressed, the sustain pedal "sustains" all the damped strings on the piano by moving all the dampers away from the strings and allowing them to vibrate...
of the piano should be lifted. - In liturgical musicLiturgical musicLiturgical music originated as a part of religious ceremony, and includes a number of traditions, both ancient and modern. Liturgical music is well known as a part of Catholic Mass, the Anglican Holy Communion service , the Lutheran Divine Service, the Orthodox liturgy and other Christian services...
, an asterisk is often used to denote a deliberate pause.
Computer science
- In computer scienceComputer scienceComputer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
, the asterisk is used in regular expressionRegular expressionIn computing, a regular expression provides a concise and flexible means for "matching" strings of text, such as particular characters, words, or patterns of characters. Abbreviations for "regular expression" include "regex" and "regexp"...
s to denote zero or more repetitions of a pattern; this use is also known as the Kleene starKleene starIn mathematical logic and computer science, the Kleene star is a unary operation, either on sets of strings or on sets of symbols or characters. The application of the Kleene star to a set V is written as V*...
or Kleene closure after Stephen Kleene. - In the Unified Modeling LanguageUnified Modeling LanguageUnified Modeling Language is a standardized general-purpose modeling language in the field of object-oriented software engineering. The standard is managed, and was created, by the Object Management Group...
, the asterisk is used to denote zero to many classes.
Computer interfaces
- In some command line interfaces, such as the Unix shellUnix shellA Unix shell is a command-line interpreter or shell that provides a traditional user interface for the Unix operating system and for Unix-like systems...
and MicrosoftMicrosoftMicrosoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
's Command PromptCommand PromptCommand Prompt is the Microsoft-supplied command-line interpreter on OS/2, Windows CE and on Windows NT-based operating systems...
, the asterisk is the wildcard characterWildcard character-Telecommunication:In telecommunications, a wildcard character is a character that may be substituted for any of a defined subset of all possible characters....
and stands for any stringString (computer science)In formal languages, which are used in mathematical logic and theoretical computer science, a string is a finite sequence of symbols that are chosen from a set or alphabet....
of charactersCharacter (computing)In computer and machine-based telecommunications terminology, a character is a unit of information that roughly corresponds to a grapheme, grapheme-like unit, or symbol, such as in an alphabet or syllabary in the written form of a natural language....
. This is also known as a wildcard symbol. A common use of the wildcard is in searching for files on a computer. For instance, if a user wished to find a document called Document 1, search terms such as Doc* and D*ment* would return this file. Document* would also return any file that begins with Document. - In some graphical user interfaceGraphical user interfaceIn computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
s, particularly older MicrosoftMicrosoftMicrosoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
applications, an asterisk is prepended to the current working document name shown in a window's title bar to indicate that unsaved changes exist. The asterisk was also used as a mask to hide passwords being entered into a text box, until Windows XP where this was changed to a bulletBullet (typography)In typography, a bullet is a typographical symbol or glyph used to introduce items in a list. For example:*Item 1*Item 2*Item 3...
. - In CommodoreCommodore InternationalCommodore is the commonly used name for Commodore Business Machines , the U.S.-based home computer manufacturer and electronics manufacturer headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania, which also housed Commodore's corporate parent company, Commodore International Limited...
(and related) filesystems, an asterisk appearing next to a filename in a directory listing denotes an improperly closed file, commonly called a "splat file." - In travel industry Global Distribution SystemsComputer reservations systemA computer reservations system is a computerized system used to store and retrieve information and conduct transactions related to air travel. Originally designed and operated by airlines, CRSes were later extended for the use of travel agencies...
, the asterisk is the display command to retrieve all or part of a Passenger Name RecordPassenger Name RecordIn the travel industry, a passenger name record is a record in the database of a computer reservation system that contains the itinerary for a passenger, or a group of passengers traveling together...
. - In HTMLHTMLHyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
web forms, an asterisk can be used to denote required fields. - Chat RoomChat roomThe term chat room, or chatroom, is primarily used by mass media to describe any form of synchronous conferencing, occasionally even asynchronous conferencing...
etiquette calls on one asterisk to correct a misspelled word which has already been submitted. For example, one could post lck, then follow it with luck* or *luck.- Enclosing a phrase between two asterisks is used to denote an action the user is "performing", e.g. *pulls out a paper*, although this usage is also common on forums, and less so on most chat rooms due to /me or similar commands. HyphenHyphenThe hyphen is a punctuation mark used to join words and to separate syllables of a single word. The use of hyphens is called hyphenation. The hyphen should not be confused with dashes , which are longer and have different uses, or with the minus sign which is also longer...
s (-action-) and double colonsColon (punctuation)The colon is a punctuation mark consisting of two equally sized dots centered on the same vertical line.-Usage:A colon informs the reader that what follows the mark proves, explains, or lists elements of what preceded the mark....
(::action::) are also used for similar purposes.
- Enclosing a phrase between two asterisks is used to denote an action the user is "performing", e.g. *pulls out a paper*, although this usage is also common on forums, and less so on most chat rooms due to /me or similar commands. Hyphen
Adding machines and printing calculators
- Some international models of adding machineAdding machineAn adding machine was a class of mechanical calculator, usually specialized for bookkeeping calculations.In the United States, the earliest adding machines were usually built to read in dollars and cents. Adding machines were ubiquitous office equipment until they were phased out in favor of...
s and printing calculatorsCalculatorAn electronic calculator is a small, portable, usually inexpensive electronic device used to perform the basic operations of arithmetic. Modern calculators are more portable than most computers, though most PDAs are comparable in size to handheld calculators.The first solid-state electronic...
use the asterisk to denote the total, or the terminal sum or difference of an addition or subtraction sequence, respectively, sometimes on the keyboard where the total key is marked with an asterisk and sometimes a capital T, and on the printout.
Programming languages
Many programming languageProgramming language
A programming language is an artificial language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs that control the behavior of a machine and/or to express algorithms precisely....
s and calculator
Calculator
An electronic calculator is a small, portable, usually inexpensive electronic device used to perform the basic operations of arithmetic. Modern calculators are more portable than most computers, though most PDAs are comparable in size to handheld calculators.The first solid-state electronic...
s use the asterisk as a symbol for multiplication
Multiplication
Multiplication is the mathematical operation of scaling one number by another. It is one of the four basic operations in elementary arithmetic ....
. It also has a number of special meanings in specific languages, for instance:
- In some programming languages such as the CC (programming language)C is a general-purpose computer programming language developed between 1969 and 1973 by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for use with the Unix operating system....
, C++C++C++ is a statically typed, free-form, multi-paradigm, compiled, general-purpose programming language. It is regarded as an intermediate-level language, as it comprises a combination of both high-level and low-level language features. It was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup starting in 1979 at Bell...
, and GoGo (programming language)Go is a compiled, garbage-collected, concurrent programming language developed by Google Inc.The initial design of Go was started in September 2007 by Robert Griesemer, Rob Pike, and Ken Thompson. Go was officially announced in November 2009. In May 2010, Rob Pike publicly stated that Go was being...
programming languages, the asterisk is used to dereference or to declare a pointer variable. - In the Common LispCommon LispCommon Lisp, commonly abbreviated CL, is a dialect of the Lisp programming language, published in ANSI standard document ANSI INCITS 226-1994 , . From the ANSI Common Lisp standard the Common Lisp HyperSpec has been derived for use with web browsers...
programming language, the names of global variableGlobal variableIn computer programming, a global variable is a variable that is accessible in every scope . Interaction mechanisms with global variables are called global environment mechanisms...
s are conventionally set off with asterisks, *LIKE-THIS*. - In the AdaAda (programming language)Ada is a structured, statically typed, imperative, wide-spectrum, and object-oriented high-level computer programming language, extended from Pascal and other languages...
, FortranFortranFortran is a general-purpose, procedural, imperative programming language that is especially suited to numeric computation and scientific computing...
, PerlPerlPerl is a high-level, general-purpose, interpreted, dynamic programming language. Perl was originally developed by Larry Wall in 1987 as a general-purpose Unix scripting language to make report processing easier. Since then, it has undergone many changes and revisions and become widely popular...
, PythonPython (programming language)Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...
, RubyRuby (programming language)Ruby is a dynamic, reflective, general-purpose object-oriented programming language that combines syntax inspired by Perl with Smalltalk-like features. Ruby originated in Japan during the mid-1990s and was first developed and designed by Yukihiro "Matz" Matsumoto...
programming languages, in some dialects of the Pascal programming language, and many others, a double asterisk is used to signify exponentiationExponentiationExponentiation is a mathematical operation, written as an, involving two numbers, the base a and the exponent n...
: 5**3 is 5*5*5 or 125. - In the Perl programming languagePerlPerl is a high-level, general-purpose, interpreted, dynamic programming language. Perl was originally developed by Larry Wall in 1987 as a general-purpose Unix scripting language to make report processing easier. Since then, it has undergone many changes and revisions and become widely popular...
, the asterisk is used to refer to the typeglob of all variables with a given name. - In the programming languages Ruby and PythonPython (programming language)Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...
, * has two specific uses. Firstly, the unary * operator applied to a list object inside a function call will expand that list into the arguments of the function call. Secondly, a parameter preceded by * in the parameter list for a function will result in any extra positional parameters being aggregated into a tupleTupleIn mathematics and computer science, a tuple is an ordered list of elements. In set theory, an n-tuple is a sequence of n elements, where n is a positive integer. There is also one 0-tuple, an empty sequence. An n-tuple is defined inductively using the construction of an ordered pair...
(Python) or arrayArray data typeIn computer science, an array type is a data type that is meant to describe a collection of elements , each selected by one or more indices that can be computed at run time by the program. Such a collection is usually called an array variable, array value, or simply array...
(Ruby), and likewise in Python a parameter preceded by ** will result in any extra keyword parametersNamed parameterIn computer programming, named parameters or keyword arguments refer to a computer language's support for function calls that clearly state the name of each parameter within the function call itself.- Overview :...
being aggregated into a dictionaryAssociative arrayIn computer science, an associative array is an abstract data type composed of a collection of pairs, such that each possible key appears at most once in the collection....
. - In the APL language, the asterisk represents the exponentialExponential functionIn mathematics, the exponential function is the function ex, where e is the number such that the function ex is its own derivative. The exponential function is used to model a relationship in which a constant change in the independent variable gives the same proportional change In mathematics,...
and exponentiationExponentiationExponentiation is a mathematical operation, written as an, involving two numbers, the base a and the exponent n...
functions.
Comments in computing
In the B programming language and languages that borrow syntax from it,like C
C (programming language)
C is a general-purpose computer programming language developed between 1969 and 1973 by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for use with the Unix operating system....
, PHP
PHP
PHP is a general-purpose server-side scripting language originally designed for web development to produce dynamic web pages. For this purpose, PHP code is embedded into the HTML source document and interpreted by a web server with a PHP processor module, which generates the web page document...
, Java, or C#, comments (parts of the code not intended to be compiled into the program) are marked by an asterisk combined with the slash:
/* Here is a comment.
The compiler will ignore it. */
Some Pascal
Pascal (programming language)
Pascal is an influential imperative and procedural programming language, designed in 1968/9 and published in 1970 by Niklaus Wirth as a small and efficient language intended to encourage good programming practices using structured programming and data structuring.A derivative known as Object Pascal...
-like programming languages, for example, Object Pascal
Object Pascal
Object Pascal refers to a branch of object-oriented derivatives of Pascal, mostly known as the primary programming language of Embarcadero Delphi.-Early history at Apple:...
, Modula-2
Modula-2
Modula-2 is a computer programming language designed and developed between 1977 and 1980 by Niklaus Wirth at ETH Zurich as a revision of Pascal to serve as the sole programming language for the operating system and application software for the personal workstation Lilith...
, Modula-3
Modula-3
In computer science, Modula-3 is a programming language conceived as a successor to an upgraded version of Modula-2 known as Modula-2+. While it has been influential in research circles it has not been adopted widely in industry...
, and Oberon
Oberon (programming language)
Oberon is a programming language created in 1986 by Professor Niklaus Wirth and his associates at ETH Zurich in Switzerland. It was developed as part of the implementation of the Oberon operating system...
, as well as several other languages including ML, Mathematica
Mathematica
Mathematica is a computational software program used in scientific, engineering, and mathematical fields and other areas of technical computing...
, AppleScript
AppleScript
AppleScript is a scripting language created by Apple Inc. and built into Macintosh operating systems since System 7. The term "AppleScript" may refer to the scripting system itself, or to particular scripts that are written in the AppleScript language....
, OCaml, Standard ML
Standard ML
Standard ML is a general-purpose, modular, functional programming language with compile-time type checking and type inference. It is popular among compiler writers and programming language researchers, as well as in the development of theorem provers.SML is a modern descendant of the ML...
, and Maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
, use an asterisk combined with a parenthesis:
(* This is a comment.
The compiler will ignore it. *)
CSS
CSS
-Computing:*Cascading Style Sheets, a language used to describe the style of document presentations in web development*Central Structure Store in the PHIGS 3D API*Closed source software, software that is not distributed with source code...
, while not strictly a programming language, also uses the slash-star comment format.
body {
/* This ought to make the text more readable for far-sighted people */
text-size:24pt;
}
Mathematics
The asterisk has many uses in mathematicsMathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
. The following list highlights some common uses and is not exhaustive.
stand-alone:
- An arbitrary point in some set. Seen, for example, when computing Riemann sums or when contracting a simply connected group to the singleton set { }.
as a unary operator, denoted in prefix notation:
- The Hodge dualHodge dualIn mathematics, the Hodge star operator or Hodge dual is a significant linear map introduced in general by W. V. D. Hodge. It is defined on the exterior algebra of a finite-dimensional oriented inner product space.-Dimensions and algebra:...
operator on vector spaces
.
as a unary operator, written as a subscript:
- The pushforward (differential) of a smooth map f between two smooth manifolds, denoted f.
as a unary operator, written as a superscript:
- The complex conjugateComplex conjugateIn mathematics, complex conjugates are a pair of complex numbers, both having the same real part, but with imaginary parts of equal magnitude and opposite signs...
of a complex numberComplex numberA complex number is a number consisting of a real part and an imaginary part. Complex numbers extend the idea of the one-dimensional number line to the two-dimensional complex plane by using the number line for the real part and adding a vertical axis to plot the imaginary part...
(the more common notation is
). - The conjugate transposeConjugate transposeIn mathematics, the conjugate transpose, Hermitian transpose, Hermitian conjugate, or adjoint matrix of an m-by-n matrix A with complex entries is the n-by-m matrix A* obtained from A by taking the transpose and then taking the complex conjugate of each entry...
, Hermitian transpose, or adjoint matrix of a matrixMatrix (mathematics)In mathematics, a matrix is a rectangular array of numbers, symbols, or expressions. The individual items in a matrix are called its elements or entries. An example of a matrix with six elements isMatrices of the same size can be added or subtracted element by element...
. - Hermitian adjointHermitian adjointIn mathematics, specifically in functional analysis, each linear operator on a Hilbert space has a corresponding adjoint operator.Adjoints of operators generalize conjugate transposes of square matrices to infinite-dimensional situations...
. - The multiplicative group of a ringRing (mathematics)In mathematics, a ring is an algebraic structure consisting of a set together with two binary operations usually called addition and multiplication, where the set is an abelian group under addition and a semigroup under multiplication such that multiplication distributes over addition...
, especially when the ring is a fieldField (mathematics)In abstract algebra, a field is a commutative ring whose nonzero elements form a group under multiplication. As such it is an algebraic structure with notions of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, satisfying certain axioms...
. E.g.
- The dual spaceDual spaceIn mathematics, any vector space, V, has a corresponding dual vector space consisting of all linear functionals on V. Dual vector spaces defined on finite-dimensional vector spaces can be used for defining tensors which are studied in tensor algebra...
of a vector spaceVector spaceA vector space is a mathematical structure formed by a collection of vectors: objects that may be added together and multiplied by numbers, called scalars in this context. Scalars are often taken to be real numbers, but one may also consider vector spaces with scalar multiplication by complex...
V, denoted V*. - The combination of an indexed collection of objects into one example, e.g. the combination of all the cohomology groupsCohomologyIn mathematics, specifically in algebraic topology, cohomology is a general term for a sequence of abelian groups defined from a co-chain complex. That is, cohomology is defined as the abstract study of cochains, cocycles, and coboundaries...
Hk(X) into the cohomology ringCohomology ringIn mathematics, specifically algebraic topology, the cohomology ring of a topological space X is a ring formed from the cohomology groups of X together with the cup product serving as the ring multiplication. Here 'cohomology' is usually understood as singular cohomology, but the ring structure is...
H*(X). - In statistics, z* and t* are given critical points for z-distributions and t-distributions, respectively.
as a binary operator, in infix notation
Infix notation
Infix notation is the common arithmetic and logical formula notation, in which operators are written infix-style between the operands they act on . It is not as simple to parse by computers as prefix notation or postfix notation Infix notation is the common arithmetic and logical formula notation,...
:
- A notation for an arbitrary binary operator.
- The free productFree productIn mathematics, specifically group theory, the free product is an operation that takes two groups G and H and constructs a new group G ∗ H. The result contains both G and H as subgroups, is generated by the elements of these subgroups, and is the “most general” group having these properties...
of two groupsGroup (mathematics)In mathematics, a group is an algebraic structure consisting of a set together with an operation that combines any two of its elements to form a third element. To qualify as a group, the set and the operation must satisfy a few conditions called group axioms, namely closure, associativity, identity...
. - f g is a convolutionConvolutionIn mathematics and, in particular, functional analysis, convolution is a mathematical operation on two functions f and g, producing a third function that is typically viewed as a modified version of one of the original functions. Convolution is similar to cross-correlation...
of f with g.
The asterisk is used in all branches of mathematics to designate a correspondence between two quantities denoted by the same letter – one with the asterisk and one without.
Mathematical typography
In fine mathematical typography, the UnicodeUnicode
Unicode is a computing industry standard for the consistent encoding, representation and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems...
character U+2217 "math asterisk" is available (HTML entity ∗). This character also appeared in the position of the regular asterisk in the PostScript
PostScript
PostScript is a dynamically typed concatenative programming language created by John Warnock and Charles Geschke in 1982. It is best known for its use as a page description language in the electronic and desktop publishing areas. Adobe PostScript 3 is also the worldwide printing and imaging...
symbol character set in the Symbol font included with Windows and Macintosh operating systems and with many printers. It should be used in fine typography for a large asterisk that lines up with the other mathematical operators.
Statistical results
In many scientific publications, the asterisk is employed as a shorthand to denote the statistical significanceStatistical significance
In statistics, a result is called statistically significant if it is unlikely to have occurred by chance. The phrase test of significance was coined by Ronald Fisher....
of results when testing hypotheses
Hypothesis
A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. The term derives from the Greek, ὑποτιθέναι – hypotithenai meaning "to put under" or "to suppose". For a hypothesis to be put forward as a scientific hypothesis, the scientific method requires that one can test it...
. When the likelihood that a result occurred by chance alone is below a certain level, one or more asterisks are displayed. Popular significance levels are 0.05 (*), 0.01 (**), and 0.001 (***).
Human genetics
- In human genetics, ** (haplogroup)Paragroup is a term used in population genetics to describe lineages within a haplogroup that are not defined by any additional unique markers. In human Y-chromosome DNA haplogroups, paragroups are typically represented by an asterisk placed after the main haplogroup...
is used to denote that someone is a member of a haplogroupHaplogroupIn the study of molecular evolution, a haplogroup is a group of similar haplotypes that share a common ancestor having the same single nucleotide polymorphism mutation in both haplotypes. Because a haplogroup consists of similar haplotypes, this is what makes it possible to predict a haplogroup...
and not any of its subclades (see * (haplogroup)* (haplogroup)Paragroup is a term used in population genetics to describe lineages within a haplogroup that are not defined by any additional unique markers. In human Y-chromosome DNA haplogroups, paragroups are typically represented by an asterisk placed after the main haplogroup...
).
Telephony
On a Touch-Tone telephoneTelephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
keypad, the asterisk (called star, or less commonly, palm or sextile
Sextile
In astrology, a sextile is an astrological aspect that is made when two planets or other celestial bodies are 60 degrees apart. A sextile is considered to be highly benefic, being the sixth harmonic of the 360 degree zodiac...
) is one of the two special keys (the other is the number sign
Number sign
Number sign is a name for the symbol #, which is used for a variety of purposes including, in some countries, the designation of a number...
(pound sign or hash or, less commonly, octothorp or square)), and is found to the left of the zero. They are used to navigate menus in Touch-Tone systems such as Voice mail, or in Vertical service code
Vertical service code
A vertical service code or VSC is a special code dialed prior to a telephone number that engages some type of special telephone service...
s.
Cricket
- In cricketCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, it signifies a total number of runs scored by a batsman without losing his wicket, e.g. 107* means '107 not outNot outIn cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
'. When written before a player's name on a scorecard, it indicates the captainCaptain (cricket)The captain of a cricket team often referred to as the skipper is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player...
of the team.
- It is also used on television when giving a career statistic during a match. For example, 47* in a number of matches column means that the current game is the player's 47th.
Instant Messaging
When typosTypographical error
A typographical error is a mistake made in, originally, the manual type-setting of printed material, or more recently, the typing process. The term includes errors due to mechanical failure or slips of the hand or finger, but usually excludes errors of ignorance, such as spelling errors...
are made, it is customary to fix the mistake by sending another message, adding an asterisk to the beginning or end of the fixed line. Sometimes only a single word is corrected in this way, if it's obvious where the mistake was in the original message.
| Example 1 | |
|---|---|
| Tom: | hey. how is brownie? |
| Jane: | ugh. my stupid xat ran away again!! |
| Jane: | *cat |
| Tom: | omg! sorry to hear that :( |
When the writer wants to explain actions in a kind of 'narrated' style while messaging, verbs are sometimes written between two asterisks, such as "*nods*" or "*shakes head*". This is known as an "emote
Emote
An emote is an entry into a text-based chat client that indicates an action taking place. Unlike emoticons, they are not text art: They describe the action using words.- /me :...
".
Economics
- In economicsEconomicsEconomics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, the use of an asterisk after a letter indicating a variableVariable (mathematics)In mathematics, a variable is a value that may change within the scope of a given problem or set of operations. In contrast, a constant is a value that remains unchanged, though often unknown or undetermined. The concepts of constants and variables are fundamental to many areas of mathematics and...
such as pricePrice-Definition:In ordinary usage, price is the quantity of payment or compensation given by one party to another in return for goods or services.In modern economies, prices are generally expressed in units of some form of currency...
, outputOutputOutput is the term denoting either an exit or changes which exit a system and which activate/modify a process. It is an abstract concept, used in the modeling, system design and system exploitation.-In control theory:...
, or employmentEmploymentEmployment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
indicates that the variable is at its optimal level (that which is achieved in a perfect market situation). For instance, p* is the price level p when output y is at its corresponding optimal level of y*.
- Also in international economics asterisks are commonly used to denote economic variables in a foreign country. So for example "p" is the price of the home good and "p*" is the price of the foreign good etc.
Education
- In the GCSEGeneral Certificate of Secondary EducationThe General Certificate of Secondary Education is an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject, generally taken in a number of subjects by students aged 14–16 in secondary education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and is equivalent to a Level 2 and Level 1 in Key Skills...
and A-Level examinations in the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the PSLEPrimary School Leaving ExaminationThe Primary School Leaving Examination is a national examination taken by all students in Singapore near the end of primary six in primary school, which is also their last year in Primary school before they leave for secondary school. It is administered by the Ministry of Education...
in SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, A* ("A-star") is a special top grade that is distinguished from grade A.
Games
- Certain categories of character types in role-playing gameRole-playing gameA role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
s are called splats, and the game supplements describing them are called splatbookSplatbookSplatbooks are sourcebooks devoted to a particular facet, character class, or fictional faction in a role-playing game, providing additional background details and rules options...
s. This usage originated with the shorthand "*book" for this type of supplement to various World of DarknessWorld of Darkness"World of Darkness" is the name given to three related but distinct fictional universes created as settings for supernatural horror themed role-playing games. It is also the name of roleplaying games in the second and third settings...
games, such as Clanbook: Ventrue (for Vampire: The MasqueradeVampire: The MasqueradeVampire: The Masquerade is a role-playing game. Created by Mark Rein·Hagen, it was the first of White Wolf Game Studio's World of Darkness role-playing games, based on the Storyteller System and centered around vampires in a modern gothic-punk world....
) or Tribebook: Black Furies (for Werewolf: The ApocalypseWerewolf: The ApocalypseWerewolf: The Apocalypse is a role-playing game and series of novels from the now defunct World of Darkness line by White Wolf. In the game, players take the role of werewolves known as Garou , as well as other lycanthropes: warriors who are locked in a two-front war against both the spiritual...
), and this usage has spread to other games with similar character-type supplements. For example, Dungeons & DragonsDungeons & DragonsDungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
Third Edition has had several lines of splatbooks: the "X & Y" series including Sword & Fist and Tome & Blood prior to the "3.5" revision, the "Complete X" series including Complete Warrior and Complete Divine, and the "Races of X" series including Races of Stone and Races of the Wild. - In many MUDMUDA MUD , pronounced , is a multiplayer real-time virtual world, with the term usually referring to text-based instances of these. MUDs combine elements of role-playing games, hack and slash, player versus player, interactive fiction, and online chat...
s and MOOMOOA MOO is a text-based online virtual reality system to which multiple users are connected at the same time.The term MOO is used in two distinct, but related, senses...
s, as well as "male", "female", and other more esoteric genders, there is a gender called "splat", which uses an asterisk to replace the letters that differ in standard English gender pronouns. For example, h* is used rather than him or her. Also, asterisks are used to signify doing an action, for example, "*action*" - Game showGame showA game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
producer Mark GoodsonMark GoodsonMark Goodson was an American television producer who specialized in game shows.-Life and early career:...
used a six-pointed asterisk as his trademark. It is featured prominently on many set pieces from The Price Is RightThe Price Is Right (U.S. game show)The Price Is Right is an American game show which was created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Contestants compete to identify the pricing of merchandise to win cash and prizes. The show is well-known for its signature line of "Come on down!" when the announcer directs newly selected contestants to...
.
Baseball
- In recent years, the asterisk has come into use on scorecards to denote a "great defensive play."
Competitive sports and games
- In colloquial usage, an asterisk is used to indicate that a recordWorld recordA world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
is somehow tainted by circumstances, which are putatively explained in a footnote supposedly referenced by the asterisk. This usage arose after the 1961 baseball season in which Roger MarisRoger MarisRoger Eugene Maris was an American Major League Baseball right fielder. During the 1961 season, he hit a record 61 home runs for the New York Yankees, breaking Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs...
of the New York YankeesNew York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
broke Babe RuthBabe RuthGeorge Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
's 34-year-old single-season home runHome runIn baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
record. Because Ruth had amassed 60 home runs in a season with only 154 games, compared to Maris's 61 over 162 games, baseball commissioner Ford FrickFord FrickFord Christopher Frick was an American sportswriter and executive who served as president of the National League from to and as the third Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1951 to . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1970...
announced that Maris' accomplishment would be recorded in the record books with an explanation (often referred to as "an asterisk" in the retelling). In fact, Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
had no official record book at the time, but the stigma remained with Maris for many years, and the concept of a real or figurative asterisk denoting less-than-official records has become widely used in sports and other competitive endeavors. A 2001 TV movie about Maris' record-breaking season was called 61* in reference to the controversy.
- In February 2011 the United States Olympic CommitteeUnited States Olympic CommitteeThe United States Olympic Committee is a non-profit organization that serves as the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States and coordinates the relationship between the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the World Anti-Doping Agency and various...
and the Ad CouncilAd CouncilThe Advertising Council, commonly known as the Ad Council, is an American non-profit organization that distributes public service announcements on behalf of various sponsors, including non-profit organizations and agencies of the United States government....
launched an anti-steroid campaign called "Play Asterisk Free" aimed at teens. The campaign, whose logo uses a heavy asterisk, first launched in 2008 under the name Don't Be An Asterisk.
Barry Bonds
Fans critical of Barry BondsBarry Bonds
Barry Lamar Bonds is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. Bonds played from 1986 to 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds...
, who has been accused of using performance-enhancing drugs
Performance-enhancing drugs
Performance-enhancing drugs are substances used by athletes to improve their performances in the sports in which they engage.- Types of performance-enhancing drugs :...
during his baseball career, invoked the asterisk notion as he approached and later broke Hank Aaron's career home run record. After Bonds hit his record-breaking 756th home run on August 7, 2007, fashion designer and enterpreneur Marc Ecko
Marc Ecko
Marc Eckō is an American fashion designer, entrepreneur, investor, artist, and philanthropist. He is the founder and Chief Creative Officer of Marc Eckō Enterprises, a billion-dollar global fashion and lifestyle company...
purchased the home run ball from the fan who caught it, and ran a poll on his Web site to determine its fate. On September 26, Ecko revealed on NBC's Today show that the ball will be branded with an asterisk and donated to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The ball, marked with a die-cut asterisk, was finally delivered to the hall on July 2, 2008 after Marc Ecko unconditionally donated the artifact rather than loaning it to the hall as originally intended.
Marketing
Asterisks (or other symbols) are commonly used in advertisements to refer readers to special terms/conditions for a certain statement, commonly placed below the statement in question. For example: an advertisement for a sale may have an asterisk after the word "sale" with the date of the sale at the bottom of the advertisement, similar to the way footnotes are used.Encodings
The UnicodeUnicode
Unicode is a computing industry standard for the consistent encoding, representation and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems...
standard states that the asterisk is distinct from the Arabic five pointed star (U+066D), the asterisk operator (U+2217), and the heavy asterisk (U+2731).
The symbols are compared below (the display depends on your browser's font).
| Asterisk | Asterisk Operator | Heavy Asterisk | Small Asterisk | Full Width Asterisk | Open Centre Asterisk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| * | ∗ | ✱ | ﹡ | ＊ | ✲ |
| Low Asterisk | Arabic star Arabic star The Arabic star is a punctuation mark developed to be distinct from the asterisk . The asterisk had existed in feudal times, and the original shape of the asterisk was six-pointed, each point like a teardrop coming from the center... | East Asian reference mark | Teardrop-Spoked Asterisk | Sixteen Pointed Asterisk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ⁎ | ٭ | ※ | ✻ | ✺ |
| Unicode Unicode Unicode is a computing industry standard for the consistent encoding, representation and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems... |
Decimal Decimal The decimal numeral system has ten as its base. It is the numerical base most widely used by modern civilizations.... |
UTF-8 UTF-8 UTF-8 is a multibyte character encoding for Unicode. Like UTF-16 and UTF-32, UTF-8 can represent every character in the Unicode character set. Unlike them, it is backward-compatible with ASCII and avoids the complications of endianness and byte order marks... |
HTML HTML HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages.... |
Displayed | |
| Asterisk | U+002A | * | 2A | * | |
| Small Asterisk | U+FE61 | ﹡ | EF B9 A1 | ﹡ | |
| Full Width Asterisk | U+FF0A | ＊ | EF BC 8A | ＊ | |
| Low Asterisk | U+204E | ⁎ | E2 81 8E | ⁎ | |
| Asterisk Operator (Math Asterisk) | U+2217 | ∗ | E2 88 97 | ∗ | ∗ |
| Heavy Asterisk | U+2731 | ✱ | E2 9C B1 | ✱ | |
| Open Centre Asterisk | U+2732 | ✲ | E2 9C B2 | ✲ | |
| Eight Spoked Asterisk | U+2733 | ✳ | E2 9C B3 | ✳ | |
| Sixteen Pointed Asterisk | U+273A | ✺ | E2 9C BA | ✺ | |
| Teardrop-Spoked Asterisk | U+273B | ✻ | E2 9C BB | ✻ | |
| Open Centre Teardrop-Spoked Asterisk | U+273C | ✼ | E2 9C BC | ✼ | |
| Heavy Teardrop-Spoked Asterisk | U+273D | ✽ | E2 9C BD | ✽ | |
| Four Teardrop-Spoked Asterisk | U+2722 | ✢ | E2 9C A2 | ✢ | |
| Four Balloon-Spoked Asterisk | U+2723 | ✣ | E2 9C A3 | ✣ | |
| Heavy Four Balloon-Spoked Asterisk | U+2724 | ✤ | E2 9C A4 | ✤ | |
| Four Club-Spoked Asterisk | U+2725 | ✥ | E2 9C A5 | ✥ | |
| Heavy Teardrop-Spoked Pinwheel Asterisk | U+2743 | ❃ | E2 9D 83 | ❃ | |
| Balloon-Spoked Asterisk | U+2749 | ❉ | E2 9D 89 | ❉ | |
| Eight Teardrop-Spoked Propeller Asterisk | U+274A | ❊ | E2 9D 8A | ❊ | |
| Heavy Eight Teardrop-Spoked Propeller Asterisk | U+274B | ❋ | E2 9D 8B | ❋ | |
| Arabic star Arabic star The Arabic star is a punctuation mark developed to be distinct from the asterisk . The asterisk had existed in feudal times, and the original shape of the asterisk was six-pointed, each point like a teardrop coming from the center... |
U+066D | ٭ | D9 AD | ٭ | |
| East Asian reference mark | U+203B | ※ | E2 80 BB | ※ | |
| Tag Asterisk | U+E002A | 󠀪 | F3 A0 80 AA | ||
See also
- Arabic starArabic starThe Arabic star is a punctuation mark developed to be distinct from the asterisk . The asterisk had existed in feudal times, and the original shape of the asterisk was six-pointed, each point like a teardrop coming from the center...
- Asterism (typography)Asterism (typography)In typography, an asterism, from the Greek astēr , is a rarely used, and "nearly obsolete", symbol consisting of three asterisks placed in a triangle . It is used to, "indicate minor breaks in text," call attention to a passage, or to separate sub-chapters in a book...
- Star (glyph)Star (glyph)In typography, a star is any of several glyphs with a number of points arrayed within an imaginary circle.-Four points:-Five points:See also Five-pointed starSee also:* mullet * pentagram- Six points :See also:...
- University of Alabama football