orthography

noun

1. (countable)A method of representing a language or the sounds of language by written symbols; spelling.

   “The Licencer indeed, as his autority novv ſtands, may licence much; but if theſe Greek Orthographies vvere of his licencing; the boyes at School might reck'n vvith him at his Grammar.”

   “Then the Bay tried me vvith a ſecond VVord, much harder to be pronounced; but reducing it to the Engliſh Orthography, may be ſpelt thus, Houyhnhnms.”

   “In the colonial era there were two major competing orthographies for rendering words from Indian languages, the ‘Jones system,’ based on the spelling in the original language and requiring a substantial application of diacritics, and the ‘Gilchrist system,’ based on pronunciation and requiring less diacritics.”

2. (countable)A set of conventions for writing a language, including norms of spelling, capitalization, emphasis, hyphenation, punctuation, and word breaks.
3. (uncountable)The aspect of language study concerned with letters and their sequences in words; the study of spelling.

   “Not only the ſeveral Towns and Countries^([sic – meaning Counties]) of England, have a different way of pronouncing, but even here in London they clip their Words after one Manner about the Court, another in the City, and a third in the Suburbs; and in a few Years, it is probable, will all differ from themſelves, as Fancy or Faſhion ſhall direct: All which, reduced to Writing, would entirely confound Orthography.”

4. (uncountable)Correct spelling according to established usage; also (obsolete) pronunciation according to the spelling of a word.

   “I abhor ſuch phanaticall phantaſims, ſuch inſociable and poynt deuiſe companions, ſuch rackers of ortagriphie, as to ſpeake dout ſine, when he ſhould ſay doubt; […]”

   “[A]nother [critic] has vovvde to get the conſumption of the lungues, or to leue to poſteritie the true orthography and pronunciation of laughing: […]”

   “If this Letter fail either in point of Orthography or Style, you muſt impute the firſt to the tumbling potſure my Body vvas in at the vvriting hereof, being a Shipboard, the ſecond the muddineſs of my Brain, vvhich like Lees in a narrovv Veſſel, hath been ſhaken at Sea in divers Tempeſts near upon forty days, […]”

   “As this VVay of booriſh Speech is in Ireland called the Brogue upon the Tongue, ſo here 'tis named Jouring, It is not poſſible to explain this fully by VVriting, becauſe the Difference is not ſo much in the Orthography, as in the Tone and Accent; […]”

   “This word [plaid] is erroneously pronounced plad, the proper pronunciation (according to the Scotch) is shewn by the Orthography.”

5. (countable)A form of projection used to represent three-dimensional objects in two dimensions, in which all the projection lines are orthogonal or perpendicular to the projection plane; an orthographic projection, especially when used to draw an elevation, vertical projection, etc., of a building; also (obsolete) a drawing made in this way.

   “Ichnography, by vvhich vve are to underſtand the very firſt Deſign and Ordinance of a VVork or Edifice, […] To this ſucceeds Orthography, or the erect elevation of the ſame in face or front deſcrib'd in meaſure upon the former Idea […]”

6. (countable, obsolete)Synonym of orthographer (“someone knowledgeable in spelling rules”).

   “[H]e vvas vvoont to ſpeake plaine, and novv is he turnd ortography, his vvords are a very fantaſticall banquet, iuſt ſo many ſtrange diſhes: […]”

verb

1. (archaic, rare, transitive)To spell (words) or write (text) according to established usage.

   “[T]here have appeared three collections of ſongs and poems, all of vvhich, though there be merit in the compoſition, are, hovvever, vvretchedly orthographied.”

   “As it would be unpleasant to the reader to see in print Mr. Dubois's English orthographied as he pronounced his words, we have followed the common way of spelling.”

   “After this the whole class performed wonders in the spelling line, orthographying the different words, man, boy, cat, &c., with great precision, doing the whole, of course, in song. [From the Musical Gazette.]”