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.

σφαιροειδής‘spherical’

Greek. – Grammar: adj.

References: Alm. Heiberg: I.2-4
Translated into:
Arabic: كريّ [Alm. MS Leiden: I.4:44, f. 4r:11. – Alm. MS Tunis: I.4:44, f. 3v:6]
Modern translations:
English: spherical [Alm. Toomer: 40]