as·ter·isk  (?s?t?-r?sk?)n.1. A star-shaped figure (*) used chiefly to indicate an omission, a reference to a footnote, or an unattested word, sound, or affix.2. Mathematics A symbol used to indicate multiplication, as in 2 * 3 = 6.tr.v. as·ter·isked, as·ter·isk·ing, as·ter·isks To mark with an asterisk.[Middle English, from Late Latin asteriscus, from Greek asteriskos, diminutive of ast?r, star; see ster- in Indo-European roots.]Usage Note: The phonological phenomenon of metathesis involves the transposition of sounds or syllables in a word. Metathesis is responsible for the common rendering of ask as aks or ax. (This issue is discussed comprehensively at ax.) Similarly, one sometimes hears asterisk pronounced with the “sk” transposed to produce a (ks) sound, as though the word were spelled asterix or astericks. Then, perhaps because this symbol is often written as one of a series (as ***, for example), some people apparently infer that astericks is the plural of a singular asterick, pronounced with just a final (k) sound. In 2014, the Usage Panel overwhelmingly preferred the traditional pronunciation for asterisk, although 24 percent found the asterix pronunciation acceptable and 19 percent found asterick acceptable. A mere 7 percent personally preferred the asterix pronunciation, and only 6 percent preferred the asterick one. See Usage Note at ax2.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.asterisk (?æst?r?sk) n1. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) a star-shaped character (*) used in printing or writing to indicate a cross-reference to a footnote, an omission, etc2. (Linguistics) a. (in historical linguistics) this sign used to indicate an unattested reconstructed formb. (in descriptive linguistics) this sign used to indicate that an expression is ungrammatical or in some other way unacceptablevb (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) (tr) to mark with an asterisk[C17: from Late Latin asteriscus a small star, from Greek asteriskos, from ast?r star]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014as?ter?isk (?æs t? r?sk) n. 1. a small starlike symbol (*), used in writing and printing as a reference mark or to indicate omission, doubtful matter, etc. 2. this symbol used in linguistics to mark an ungrammatical or otherwise unacceptable utterance. v.t. 3. to mark with an asterisk. [1350?1400; Middle English

e·mo·ti·con  (?-m??t?-k?n?)n. A facial glyph, used especially in email, texts, and instant messages and sometimes typed sideways, that indicates an emotion or attitude, as [ 🙂 ] to indicate delight, humor, or irony or [ :'( ] to indicate sadness.[emot(ion) + icon.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.emoticon (??m??t??k?n) n (Telecommunications) any of several combinations of symbols used in electronic mail and text messaging to indicate the state of mind of the writer, such as 🙂 to express happiness[C20: from emot(ion) + icon]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014e?mo?ti?con (??mo? t??k?n) n. Computers. an abbreviation or icon used on a network, as IMHO for ?in my humble opinion? or:-), a sideways representation of a smiling face, to indicate amusement. [1980?85; b. emotion and icon] Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.emoticon1. An arrangement of typed characters used, when read sideways, to represent an emotion or state of mind, such as 🙂 symbolizing a smiling face.2. A group of typed characters that resemble a facial expression. The most common is ?:-)? ? which resembles a smiling face tipped on its side.Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited

bracketsBrackets ( [ ] ), sometimes known as square brackets, are similar to parentheses in that they are used to contain information that does not impact the overall grammatical structure of the sentence. However, rather than indicating information that is supplemental or incidental, brackets are usually used within quoted speech to indicate that a writer has added material to the quotation to provide clarifying or explanatory information.Continue reading…brack·et  (br?k??t)n.1. a. A simple rigid structure in the shape of an L, one arm of which is fixed to a vertical surface, the other projecting horizontally to support a shelf or other weight.b. A small shelf or shelves supported by such structures.2. Architecture A decorative or weight-bearing structural unit, two sides of which form a right angle with one arm flush against a wall and the other flush beneath a projecting surface, such as eaves or a bay window.3. A wall-anchored fixture for gas or electricity.4. a. A square bracket.b. An angle bracket.c. Mathematics See brace.5. Chiefly British One of a pair of parentheses.6. A classification or grouping, especially within a sequence of numbers or grades, as a category of incomes sharing the same tax rate.7. A treelike diagram showing the matchups between competitors in different rounds of a tournament.8. a. The distance between two impacting shells, the first aimed beyond a target and the second aimed short of it, used to determine the range for artillery fire.b. The shells fired in such a manner.tr.v. brack·et·ed, brack·et·ing, brack·ets 1. To furnish or support with a bracket or brackets.2. To place within or as if within brackets.3. To classify or group together.4. To include or exclude by establishing specific boundaries.5. To fire beyond and short of (a target) in order to determine artillery range.[Possibly French braguette, codpiece, diminutive of brague, breeches, from Old Provençal braga, from Latin br?cae, from Gaulish br?ca, leg covering.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.bracket (?bræk?t) n1. (Furniture) an L-shaped or other support fixed to a wall to hold a shelf, etc2. (Building) one or more wall shelves carried on brackets3. (Architecture) architect a support projecting from the side of a wall or other structure. See also corbel, ancon, console24. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) Also called: square bracket either of a pair of characters, [ ], used to enclose a section of writing or printing to separate it from the main text5. (Mathematics) a general name for parenthesis, square bracket, brace66. a group or category falling within or between certain defined limits: the lower income bracket. 7. (General Physics) the distance between two preliminary shots of artillery fire in range-finding8. (Skiing) a skating figure consisting of two arcs meeting at a point, tracing the shape ?vb (tr) , -kets, -keting or -keted9. (Furniture) to fix or support by means of a bracket or brackets10. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) to put (written or printed matter) in brackets, esp as being irrelevant, spurious, or bearing a separate relationship of some kind to the rest of the text11. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) to couple or join (two lines of text, etc) with a brace12. (often foll by with) to group or class together: to bracket Marx with the philosophers. 13. (Military) to adjust (artillery fire) until the target is hit[C16: from Old French braguette codpiece, diminutive of bragues breeches, from Old Provençal braga, from Latin br?ca breeches]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014brack?et (?bræk ?t) n. 1. a supporting piece, often L- or scroll-shaped, projecting from a wall or the like to bear the weight of a shelf, cornice, etc., or to reinforce the angle between two members. 2. a shelf or shelves so supported. 3. a wall fixture for holding a lamp, clock, telephone, etc. 4. Also called square bracket. one of two marks, [or], used in writing or printing to enclose parenthetical matter, interpolations, etc. 5. Math. a. brackets, parentheses of various forms indicating that the enclosed quantity is to be treated as a unit. b. (loosely) vinculum (def. 2). 6. a class, division, or grouping, as of persons in relation to their income or age. 7. a projecting fixture for gas or electricity. 8. gun range or elevation producing both shorts and overs on a target. v.t. 9. to furnish with or support by a bracket or brackets. 10. to place within brackets. 11. to associate, mention, or class together: The problems were bracketed together. 12. to place (gunshots) both beyond and short of a target. 13. to photograph (additional shots) at exposure levels above and below the estimated correct exposure. [1570?80; earlier also brag(g)et (in architecture)] Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.bracketPast participle: bracketedGerund: bracketingImperativePresentPreteritePresent ContinuousPresent PerfectPast ContinuousPast PerfectFutureFuture PerfectFuture ContinuousPresent Perfect ContinuousFuture Perfect ContinuousPast Perfect ContinuousConditionalPast ConditionalImperativebracketbracketPresentI bracketyou brackethe/she/it bracketswe bracketyou bracketthey bracketPreteriteI bracketedyou bracketedhe/she/it bracketedwe bracketedyou bracketedthey bracketedPresent ContinuousI am bracketingyou are bracketinghe/she/it is bracketingwe are bracketingyou are bracketingthey are bracketingPresent PerfectI have bracketedyou have bracketedhe/she/it has bracketedwe have bracketedyou have bracketedthey have bracketedPast ContinuousI was bracketingyou were bracketinghe/she/it was bracketingwe were bracketingyou were bracketingthey were bracketingPast PerfectI had bracketedyou had bracketedhe/she/it had bracketedwe had bracketedyou had bracketedthey had bracketedFutureI will bracketyou will brackethe/she/it will bracketwe will bracketyou will bracketthey will bracketFuture PerfectI will have bracketedyou will have bracketedhe/she/it will have bracketedwe will have bracketedyou will have bracketedthey will have bracketedFuture ContinuousI will be bracketingyou will be bracketinghe/she/it will be bracketingwe will be bracketingyou will be bracketingthey will be bracketingPresent Perfect ContinuousI have been bracketingyou have been bracketinghe/she/it has been bracketingwe have been bracketingyou have been bracketingthey have been bracketingFuture Perfect ContinuousI will have been bracketingyou will have been bracketinghe/she/it will have been bracketingwe will have been bracketingyou will have been bracketingthey will have been bracketingPast Perfect ContinuousI had been bracketingyou had been bracketinghe/she/it had been bracketingwe had been bracketingyou had been bracketingthey had been bracketingConditionalI would bracketyou would brackethe/she/it would bracketwe would bracketyou would bracketthey would bracketPast ConditionalI would have bracketedyou would have bracketedhe/she/it would have bracketedwe would have bracketedyou would have bracketedthey would have bracketedCollins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011