orthography

[awr-thog-ruh-fee]

noun, plural or·thog·ra·phies for 3–5.

the art of writing words with the proper letters, according to accepted usage; correct spelling.
the part of language study concerned with letters and spelling.
a method of spelling, as by the use of an alphabet or other system of symbols; spelling.

a system of such symbols: Missionaries provided the first orthography for the language.
an orthographic projection, or an elevation drawn by means of it.

Origin of orthography

1425–75; late Middle English ortografye < Latin orthographia correct writing, orthogonal projection < Greek orthographía. See ortho-, -graphy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for orthography

Historical Examples of orthography

The orthography of his glossary differs considerably from the orthography of his text.
Beowulf
Unknown
Will they forego the facts of an epoch, for the orthography of a syllable?
The Celtic Magazine, Vol. 1, No. 3, January 1876
Various
The orthography and pointing of the stops, are precisely as printed in the card.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;
Various
Then there were treatises on grammar, on orthography, and a series of works on mathematics.
Old-Time Makers of Medicine
James J. Walsh
Sussex men are curiously intolerant of the phonetics of orthography.
Highways & Byways in Sussex
E.V. Lucas

British Dictionary definitions for orthography

orthography

noun plural -phies

a writing system
1. spelling considered to be correct
2. the principles underlying spelling
the study of spelling
orthographic projection

Derived Formsorthographer or orthographist, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for orthography

"correct or proper spelling," mid-15c., ortographie, from Middle French orthographie (Old French ortografie, 13c.), from Latin orthographia, from Greek orthographia "correct writing," from orthos "correct" (see ortho-) + root of graphein "to write" (see -graphy). Related: Orthographer.