astericonic

astericonic is a term used in linguistics and typography to describe a specific characteristic of written characters, particularly in the context of pronunciation or pronunciation guides. It refers to a symbol or notation that indicates a word or phrase is being deliberately omitted or is unknown, often for reasons of censorship, uncertainty, or discretion. The most common symbol associated with astericonic is the asterisk (*), though other symbols like ellipsis (...) or hyphens (---) can sometimes serve a similar purpose.

The concept of astericonic is most frequently encountered in dictionaries, glossaries, and scholarly works where precise wording is important. For example, in a historical text that contains a potentially offensive or outdated term, an astericonic notation might be used to acknowledge the word's existence without explicitly reproducing it. Similarly, if a scholar is discussing a word whose original form is not definitively known, they might use an astericonic to represent the missing part of the word, such as "k*ng" to suggest a word that starts with 'k' and ends with 'ng' but has an unknown middle.

In some contexts, astericonic can also be employed for humorous effect or to create a sense of mystery. However, its primary function remains the indication of absence or uncertainty in textual representation. The specific symbol used and its interpretation can vary depending on the field of study and the conventions adopted by specific publications or authors.