'asterisk' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'asteriskos', where 'aster-' meant 'star' and the diminutive '-iskos' meant 'little'.

'asterisk' came into English via Late Latin 'asteriscus' and Old French 'asterisque', ultimately from Greek 'asteriskos', and developed into the modern English word 'asterisk'.

Initially, it meant 'little star' (a small star-shaped mark); over time it came to mean specifically the typographical symbol '*' used to mark notes, exceptions, or emphasis.