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.

أقصر زمانا ‘shorter (in time)’

Arabic

References: Alm. MS Leiden: f. 17r.11
Translation of:
Greek: βραχύτερος [Alm. Heiberg: II.6, 102:6]
Synonyms:
أقصر[Alm. MS Tunis: 22b.4]