asteriscus

See also: Asteriscus

English

Noun

asteriscus (plural asterisci)

1. (anatomy) One of the otoliths found in the lagena of many nonmammalian vertebrates.

Synonyms

• asterisk
• lagenolith

Further reading

• asteriscus on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• scar tissue

Latin

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀστερίσκος (asterískos, “little star”), diminutive of ἀστήρ (astḗr, “star”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /as.teˈris.kus/, [äs̠t̪ɛˈrɪs̠kʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /as.teˈris.kus/, [äst̪eˈriskus]

Noun

asteriscus m (genitive asteriscī); second declension

1. a small star, an asterisk

Declension

Second-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	asteriscus	asteriscī
Genitive	asteriscī	asteriscōrum
Dative	asteriscō	asteriscīs
Accusative	asteriscum	asteriscōs
Ablative	asteriscō	asteriscīs
Vocative	asterisce	asteriscī

Descendants

• Asturian: asteriscu
• Catalan: asterisc
• → English: asterisk (learned)
  • → Japanese: アスタリスク
• → French: astérisque (learned)
  • → Romanian: asterisc
• Galician: asterisco
• Italian: asterisco
• Portuguese: asterisco
• Spanish: asterisco

References

• “asteriscus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press