Orthograph

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A correct or accepted written form of a word, as set by spelling convention
2. The proper manner of spelling a term according to established standard usage
3. A spelling of a word that conforms to the accepted rules of a language

Etymology: "Orthograph" is a compound built from two Greek elements: "orthos," meaning "straight" or "correct," and "graphein," meaning "to write." Put together, the word means something like "correct writing," and it refers to a spelling or the way a word is written. The pairing mirrors older formations such as "orthography," which uses the same first element and was assembled from the same Greek roots to describe the conventions of correct spelling. The second element, "-graph," is one of English's most productive endings, found in words like "photograph" and "paragraph," and it carries the sense of something written or drawn. Attaching it to "ortho-" produces a compact noun for the written form of a word. Because it is a deliberate combination of familiar Greek parts, its meaning can be worked out directly from its construction rather than from a long chain of borrowing.

Synonyms: spelling, orthography