An asterisk is a typographical symbol (*) that resembles a small star. It is commonly used in writing and printing for various purposes:
- To call out a footnote or reference a note at the bottom of a page.
- To indicate omission of letters or words.
- To censor offensive or inappropriate words.
- In linguistics, to mark hypothetical or unattested linguistic forms, or to signal ungrammatical or ill-formed sentences.
- In computer science, it is often used as a wildcard character representing any string of characters, for pointers, repetition, or multiplication.
- In mathematics and other fields, it can denote optimal levels or variables in foreign country economics.
Historically, the asterisk has been used since ancient times as a correction or emphasis symbol and has evolved over centuries in shape and use. Additionally, "Asterisk" is also the name of an open-source software framework that acts as a private branch exchange (PBX) for telephony. It allows computers to establish and control telephone calls, supporting VoIP and traditional phone networks. This software is widely used around the world for business phone systems, call centers, and telecommunications applications. In summary, the asterisk is both a versatile symbol used in writing and computing, and a name for a key open-source telephony software framework. Both uses derive from the star-like shape of the symbol (*).
