Asterisk: Typography, Glyph, A* search algorithm, C*-algebra, Arabic star, Computer science, Wildcard character, Multiplication, Comparison of programming languages (syntax)

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). The word "asterisk" is often mispronounced as "asterick" or "asterix". The asterisk is derived from the need of the printers of family trees in feudal times as a symbol to indicate date of birth. The original shape was six-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 version of the asterisk. The Arabic asterisk is six-pointed. In some fonts the asterisk is five-pointed and the Arabic star is eight-pointed. In computer science, the asterisk is commonly used as a wildcard character, or to denote pointers, repetition, and multiplication.