PAL

Ptolemaeus Arabus et Latinus

_ (the underscore) is the placeholder for exactly one character.
% (the percent sign) is the placeholder for no, one or more than one character.
%% (two percent signs) is the placeholder for no, one or more than one character, but not for blank space (so that a search ends at word boundaries).

At the beginning and at the end, these placeholders are superfluous.

pôle ‘heavenly sphere’

French

References: PH Morelon: 26
Translation of:
Arabic: الكرة السماويّة [Alm. MS Leiden: I.3:32, f. 3v:8. – Alm. MS Tunis: I.3:32, f. 2v:24-25]