asterisk
n. countablen. a small symbol that looks like a star (*). You use it in writing to tell the reader to look at a note at the bottom of the page.
n. a star-shaped symbol (*) used in typography to indicate a footnote or to mask sensitive characters. In sports contexts, it metaphorically indicates a record or achievement that is considered questionable due to special circumstances.
The price on the menu has an asterisk next to it.
The author placed an asterisk after the claim to direct readers to the detailed data in the appendix.
Many fans argue that the championship title deserves an asterisk because several key players were suspended during the final series, casting doubt on the legitimacy of the victory.
The noun is derived from Middle English asterisk [and other forms], from Late Latin asteriscus (“asterisk; small star”), from Ancient Greek ἀστερῐ́σκος (asterĭ́skos, “asterisk; small star”), from ᾰ̓στήρ (ăstḗr, “celestial body (star, planet, and other lights in the sky such as meteors)”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eHs- (“to burn; to glow”)) + -ῐ́σκος (-ĭ́skos, diminutive suffix). Doublet of asteriscus and piecewise doublet of starrish. Noun sense 1.1.2 (“something which is of little importance or which is marginal”) refers to the use of an asterisk to denote a footnote or marginal note in a text; in other words, information that is not important enough to be incorporated into the main text. Noun sense 1.1.3 (“blemish in an otherwise outstanding achievement”) refers to the use of an asterisk in a sporting record to indicate that the record is qualified in some manner (for example, that the sportsperson was found to have taken performance-enhancing drugs at the time). The verb is derived from the noun.
Often paired with the verb 'to place' or 'to mark'.