asterisk

n. small star-shaped character (*); "wildcard" symbol, character that can be used to represent every possible character combination (Computers)

An asterisk (*), is a typographical symbol or glyph. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (Latin astrum). Computer scientists and mathematicians often pronounce it as star (as, for example, in the A* search algorithm or C* algebra).The asterisk derives from the need of the printers of family trees in feudal times for 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.
See more at Wikipedia.org...

*~Asterisk~ is the 10th single from Orange Range.It was used as the first opening to the anime Bleach. This song stayed on the top 20 in Japan for 22 weeks and spent most of it at number one. This became the number four single of 2005 and the number one single of the year from Orange Range, selling 628,329 copies.
See more at Wikipedia.org...

Noun
1. a star-shaped character * used in printing
(synonym) star
(hypernym) character, grapheme, graphic symbol
(derivation) star
Verb
1. mark with an asterisk; "Linguists star unacceptable sentences"
(synonym) star
(hypernym) mark
(derivation) star

n. asterisk, small star-shaped character (*); "wildcard" symbol, character that can be used to represent every possible character combination (Computers)

(n.)
The figure of a star, thus, *, used in printing and writing as a reference to a passage or note in the margin, to supply the omission of letters or words, or to mark a word or phrase as having a special character.