Asterisk

Like the obelisk, the asterisk is an ancient, multi-purpose typographical symbol used in science and literature. Its many uses include being a multiplication symbol, a reference mark for a footnote, a wildcard, a symbol denoting emphasis, a mask for keyed-in passwords, bullet points, or simply decoration.

Like the Christian cross or a Rorschach Inkblot Test, the asterisk means whatever we want it to mean.

Typically seen on a telephone keypad

PC keyboard asterisk

Typically seen on a PC keyboard

Display screen asterisk

'Courier' font typically seen on a PC screen

An asterisk commonly has five or six points, depending on the country and font. This typographical symbol also known as a 'star' (from the Greek aster (star), and lots of related words such as 'asteroid', 'astronomy', 'astrology' and even the word 'disaster', from the astrological belief that calamities are dues to unfavorable positions of planets. (See also "Natural disaster" - a common misnomer.)

The arms may be rectangular with straight edges, pattéed with straight or curved edges, or bulbous.

Where there are six points, this is usually a St. Andrew's Cross with a vertical bar - similar to the Star of Life - and frequently seen on a PC keyboard. As a special-purpose key on a telephone keypad, the bar is usually horizontal. (For the asterisk displayed on the left at the top of this page, the number of 'points', the arm shapes, and the vertical alignment, depend on the font used by your internet browser.)

The asterisk looks a bit like a snowflake, which mysteriously always has six points. Even more mysterious is why, in winter when frost collects on your car's windows, the front and back windows have thicker frost than the side windows. And perhaps the deepest mystery in life, is why the asterisk on the PC keyboard differs from the asterisk on the telephone keypad.