'asteriskos' originates from Ancient Greek, specifically the word 'ἀστερίσκος' (asterískos), where 'ἀστήρ' (astēr) meant 'star' and the diminutive suffix '-ίσκος' (-iskos) meant 'little'.

'asteriskos' changed into Latin 'asteriscus' (and Medieval Latin/French variants) and eventually became the modern English word 'asterisk'.

Initially it meant 'little star', but over time it evolved to denote the typographical mark '*' (used for footnotes, omissions, or emphasis).