asterisk
[ as-tuh-risk ]
/ ˈæs tə rɪsk /
noun
verb (used with object)
to mark with an asterisk.
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RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
- aster yellows,
- asteraceous,
- astereognosis,
- asteriated,
- asterion,
- asterism,
- asterixis,
- astern,
- asternal,
- asternia
Origin of asterisk
Pronunciation note
While asterisk is usually said as [as-tuh-risk] /ˈæs tə rɪsk/, with the [s] /s/ in the final syllable preceding the [k] /k/, a metathesized pronunciation is also heard, in which the [s] /s/ and [k] /k/ change places producing [as-tuh-riks] /ˈæs tə rɪks/. This pronunciation, resulting in part from analogy with plural forms like kicks and sticks, can sometimes lead to a false analysis of [as-tuh-riks] /ˈæs tə rɪks/ as a plural pronunciation, with a corresponding singular [as-tuh-rik] /ˈæs tə rɪk/. The metathesized pronunciation, although occasionally heard among educated speakers, is usually considered nonstandard, as is the pronunciation of the singular form with no [s] /s/ in the final syllable.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for asterisk
asterisk
/ (ˈæstərɪsk) /
noun
a star-shaped character (*) used in printing or writing to indicate a cross-reference to a footnote, an omission, etc
- (in historical linguistics) this sign used to indicate an unattested reconstructed form
- (in descriptive linguistics) this sign used to indicate that an expression is ungrammatical or in some other way unacceptable
verb
(tr) to mark with an asterisk
Word Origin for asterisk
C17: from Late Latin asteriscus a small star, from Greek asteriskos, from astēr star
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
asterisk
"figure used in printing and writing to indicate footnote, omission, etc.," late 14c., asterich, asterisc, from Late Latin asteriscus, from Greek asterikos "little star," diminutive of aster "star" (see astro-). As a verb from 1733.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper