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.

موضع ‘position’

Arabic

References: Alm. MS Tunis:
Translation of:
Greek: τόπος [Alm. Heiberg: I.3, 12:2]
Synonyms:
وضع[PH Morelon: I.2:3, 17:16]