Websterism

Origin

Webster + -ism

Full definition of Websterism

Noun

1. (dated) An orthographic convention due to Noah Webster (1758-1843), American lexicographer and spelling reformer.The spelling theater for theatre is a Websterism.
• 1860, The North American ReviewAgain, the spelling of such words as "center" and "traveler" is not an Americanism, though to be found in a few American books, but a Websterism...
• 1881, Isaac Pitman, Pitman's Journal of Commercial Education...this improvement will no longer figure as an Americanism or a Websterism.