thesis definition root word

thesis (n.)

late 14c., "unaccented syllable or note, a lowering of the voice in music," from Latin thesis "unaccented syllable in poetry," later (and more correctly) "stressed part of a metrical foot," from Greek thesis "a proposition," also "downbeat" (in music), originally "a setting down, a placing, an arranging; position, situation" (from reduplicated form of PIE root *dhe- "to set, put").

The sense in logic of "a formulation in advance of a proposition to be proved or debated" is attested by 1570s (contrasted to hypothesis ; in rhetoric it is opposed to antithesis ); that of "dissertation presented by a candidate for a university degree" is from 1650s. The uncertainty of the prosodic sense might have kept it from being established in English. Related: Thetic ; thetical ; thetically .

Entries linking to thesis

*dhē- , Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to set, put."

It forms all or part of: abdomen ; abscond ; affair ; affect (v.1) "make a mental impression on;" affect (v.2) "make a pretense of;" affection ; amplify ; anathema ; antithesis ; apothecary ; artifact ; artifice ; beatific ; benefice ; beneficence ; beneficial ; benefit ; bibliothec ; bodega ; boutique ; certify ; chafe ; chauffeur ; comfit ; condiment ; confection ; confetti ; counterfeit ; deed ; deem ; deface ; defeasance ; defeat ; defect ; deficient ; difficulty ; dignify ; discomfit ; do (v.); doom ; -dom ; duma ; edifice ; edify ; efface ; effect ; efficacious ; efficient ; epithet ; facade ; face ; facet ; facial ; -facient ; facile ; facilitate ; facsimile ; fact ; faction (n.1) "political party;" -faction ; factitious ; factitive ; factor ; factory ; factotum ; faculty ; fashion ; feasible ; feat ; feature ; feckless ; fetish ; -fic ; fordo ; forfeit ; -fy ; gratify ; hacienda ; hypothecate ; hypothesis ; incondite ; indeed ; infect ; justify ; malefactor ; malfeasance ; manufacture ; metathesis ; misfeasance ; modify ; mollify ; multifarious ; notify ; nullify ; office ; officinal ; omnifarious ; orifice ; parenthesis ; perfect ; petrify ; pluperfect ; pontifex ; prefect ; prima facie ; proficient ; profit ; prosthesis ; prothesis ; purdah ; putrefy ; qualify ; rarefy ; recondite ; rectify ; refectory ; sacrifice ; salmagundi ; samadhi ; satisfy ; sconce ; suffice ; sufficient ; surface ; surfeit ; synthesis ; tay ; ticking (n.); theco- ; thematic ; theme ; thesis ; verify .

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit dadhati "puts, places;" Avestan dadaiti "he puts;" Old Persian ada "he made;" Hittite dai- "to place;" Greek tithenai "to put, set, place;" Latin facere "to make, do; perform; bring about;" Lithuanian dėti "to put;" Polish dziać się "to be happening;" Russian delat' "to do;" Old High German tuon , German tun , Old English don "to do."

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Definition of thesis

Did you know.

In high school, college, or graduate school, students often have to write a thesis on a topic in their major field of study. In many fields, a final thesis is the biggest challenge involved in getting a master's degree, and the same is true for students studying for a Ph.D. (a Ph.D. thesis is often called a dissertation ). But a thesis may also be an idea; so in the course of the paper the student may put forth several theses (notice the plural form) and attempt to prove them.

Examples of thesis in a Sentence

Word history.

in sense 3, Middle English, lowering of the voice, from Late Latin & Greek; Late Latin, from Greek, downbeat, more important part of a foot, literally, act of laying down; in other senses, Latin, from Greek, literally, act of laying down, from tithenai to put, lay down — more at do

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a(1)

Dictionary Entries Near thesis

the sins of the fathers are visited upon the children

thesis novel

Cite this Entry

“Thesis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thesis. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of thesis, more from merriam-webster on thesis.

Nglish: Translation of thesis for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of thesis for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about thesis

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• 1.1 Etymology
• 1.2 Pronunciation
• 1.3.1 Derived terms
• 1.3.2 Related terms
• 1.3.3 Translations
• 1.4 References
• 1.5 Further reading
• 1.6 Anagrams
• 2.1 Etymology
• 2.2 Pronunciation
• 3.1 Etymology
• 3.2 Pronunciation
• 3.3.1 Declension
• 3.3.2 Descendants
• 3.4 References

From Late Middle English thesis ( “ lowering of the voice ” ) [ 1 ] and also borrowed directly from its etymon Latin thesis ( “ proposition, thesis; lowering of the voice ” ) , from Ancient Greek θέσῐς ( thésis , “ arrangement, placement, setting; conclusion, position, thesis; lowering of the voice ” ) , from τῐ́θημῐ ( títhēmi , “ to place, put, set; to put down in writing; to consider as, regard ” ) [ 2 ] [ 3 ] (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ( “ to do; to place, put ” ) ) + -σῐς ( -sis , suffix forming abstract nouns or nouns of action, process, or result ) . The English word is a doublet of deed .

Sense 1.1 (“proposition or statement supported by arguments”) is adopted from antithesis . [ 2 ] Sense 1.4 (“initial stage of reasoning”) was first used by the German philosopher Johann Gottlieb Fichte (1762–1814), and later applied to the dialectical method of his countryman, the philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770–1831).

The plural form theses is borrowed from Latin thesēs , from Ancient Greek θέσεις ( théseis ) .

Pronunciation

• ( Received Pronunciation ) IPA ( key ) : /ˈθiːsɪs/ , ( archaic ) /ˈθɛsɪs/
• ( General American ) IPA ( key ) : /ˈθisɪs/
• Rhymes: -iːsɪs
• Hyphenation: the‧sis
• ( Received Pronunciation ) IPA ( key ) : /ˈθiːsiːz/
• ( General American ) IPA ( key ) : /ˈθisiz/
• Rhymes: -iːsiːz
• Hyphenation: the‧ses

thesis ( plural theses )

• ( rhetoric ) A proposition or statement supported by arguments .
• 1766 , [ Oliver Goldsmith ], “The Conclusion”, in The Vicar of Wakefield:   [ … ] , volume II, Salisbury, Wiltshire: [ … ] B. Collins, for F [ rancis ] Newbery ,   [ … ] , →OCLC , pages 218–219 : I told them of the grave, becoming, and ſublime deportment they ſhould aſſume upon this myſtical occaſion, and read them two homilies and a theſis of my own compoſing, in order to prepare them.
• ( mathematics , computer science ) A conjecture , especially one too vague to be formally stated or verified but useful as a working convention.
• ( logic ) An affirmation , or distinction from a supposition or hypothesis .
• ( philosophy ) In the dialectical method of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel : the initial stage of reasoning where a formal statement of a point is developed ; this is followed by antithesis and synthesis .
• ( music , prosody , originally ) The action of lowering the hand or bringing down the foot when indicating a rhythm ; hence, an accented part of a measure of music or verse indicated by this action; an ictus , a stress . Antonym: arsis
• ( music , prosody , with a reversal of meaning ) A depression of the voice when pronouncing a syllables of a word ; hence, the unstressed part of the metrical foot of a verse upon which such a depression falls , or an unaccented musical note .

Derived terms

• all but thesis
• bachelor's thesis
• Church-Turing thesis
• conflict thesis
• doctoral thesis
• graduate thesis
• Habakkuk thesis
• master's thesis
• Merton thesis
• private language thesis
• thesis defense
• thesis statement

Related terms

Translations.

• ^ “ thē̆sis, n. ”, in MED Online , Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan , 2007 .
• ^ “ thesis, n. ”, in Lexico , Dictionary.com ; Oxford University Press , 2019–2022 .

Further reading

• “ thesis ”, in The Century Dictionary   [ … ] , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co. , 1911 , →OCLC .
• “ thesis ”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary , Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam , 1913 , →OCLC .
• Heists , Sethis , heists , shiest , shites , sithes , thises

From Latin thesis , from Ancient Greek θέσις ( thésis , “ a proposition, a statement, a thing laid down, thesis in rhetoric, thesis in prosody ” ) .

thesis   f ( plural theses or thesissen , diminutive thesisje   n )

• Dated form of these . Synonyms: dissertatie , proefschrift , scriptie

From Ancient Greek θέσις ( thésis , “ a proposition, a statement, a thing laid down, thesis in rhetoric, thesis in prosody ” ) .

• ( Classical Latin ) IPA ( key ) : /ˈtʰe.sis/ , [ˈt̪ʰɛs̠ɪs̠]
• ( modern Italianate Ecclesiastical ) IPA ( key ) : /ˈte.sis/ , [ˈt̪ɛːs̬is]

thesis   f ( genitive thesis ) ; third declension

Descendants

• → Dutch: thesis
• → Armenian: թեզ ( tʻez )
• → Dutch: these
• → Persian: تز ( tez )
• → Romanian: teză
• → Turkish: tez
• Galician: tese
• Italian: tesi
• English: thesis
• Portuguese: tese
• Spanish: tesis
• “ thesis ”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short ( 1879 ) A Latin Dictionary , Oxford: Clarendon Press
• thesis in Gaffiot, Félix ( 1934 ) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français , Hachette.

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thesis etymology

The word "thesis" comes from the Ancient Greek word "τίθημι" (tithēmi) , meaning "to put, place, set".

A thesis is a formal written argument presented by a student or researcher to fulfill the requirements of an academic degree. It typically involves original research and analysis on a specific topic.

The concept of the thesis as a formal academic document developed over many centuries.

• Ancient Greece: Philosophers and scholars used the term "thesis" to refer to a proposition or argument that was put forward for discussion and debate.
• Middle Ages: In medieval universities, a thesis was a written summary of a student's studies that they had to defend in a public disputation.
• Renaissance: The rise of humanism and the printing press led to the development of more structured and formal theses.
• 18th Century: The modern concept of the thesis as an original research project emerged during the Enlightenment period.
• 19th Century: The university reform movement in Europe and North America established the thesis as a mandatory requirement for higher degrees.

Key Points:

• The Greek origin of the word "thesis" emphasizes its connection to proposing and arguing a point.
• A thesis is not simply a summary of existing knowledge but a unique contribution based on original research.
• The process of writing a thesis involves critical thinking, analysis, and the ability to communicate complex ideas effectively.

Words and phrases

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thesis noun

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What does the noun thesis mean?

There are seven meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun thesis . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

thesis has developed meanings and uses in subjects including

Entry status

OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.

How common is the noun thesis ?

How is the noun thesis pronounced, british english, u.s. english, where does the noun thesis come from.

Earliest known use

Middle English

The earliest known use of the noun thesis is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).

OED's earliest evidence for thesis is from before 1398, in a translation by John Trevisa, translator.

thesis is a borrowing from Greek .

Etymons: Greek θέσις .

Nearby entries

• thesaurus, n. 1823–
• thesaury, n. a1639–1708
• these, n. a1600–48
• these, pron. & adj. Old English–
• Thesean, adj. 1815–
• Theseid, n. 1725–
• Theseium, n. 1819–
• these-like, adj. 1644–
• thesial, adj. 1654
• thesicle, n. 1863–
• thesis, n. a1398–
• thesis-novel, n. 1934–
• thesis-play, n. 1902–
• thesmophilist, n. 1644–
• Thesmophorian, adj. 1891–
• Thesmophoric, adj. 1788–
• thesmothete, n. 1603–
• thesocyte, n. 1887–
• thesp, n. 1962–
• Thespian, adj. & n. 1675–
• Thespianism, n. 1914–

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Meaning & use

Pronunciation, compounds & derived words, entry history for thesis, n..

thesis, n. was first published in 1912; not yet revised.

thesis, n. was last modified in June 2024.

Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:

• corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
• new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into thesis, n. in June 2024.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

OED First Edition (1912)

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OED Second Edition (1989)

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Citation details

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the•sis

• assiduously
• cognitivism
• combining form
• contestation
• developable
• dialectical
• dialectically
• thermotropic
• thermotropism
• Thermovoltaic
• Theromorpha
• theropod dinosaur
• thersitical
• thesmothete
• Thespesia populnea
• Thessalonian
• Thessalonians
• Thessalonica
• Thessalonike
• Thessaloníki
• Theta function
• theta rhythm
• Thetford Mines
• these unmitigated disaster
• these ups and downs
• these were tailor made
• these were tailor-made
• these white lies
• these words of wisdom
• Thèses En Ligne
• Theseus and Pirithoüs
• Thesiger, Wilfred (Patrick)
• Thesis (academic)
• Thesis defence
• Thesis, Rule, Explanation, Analysis, Thesis
• Thesis-Antithesis-Synthesis
• Thesmophoria
• Thesmophoros
• Thesmorphia
• Thesmothete
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Dictionary definition of thesis

A statement or theory that is put forward as a premise to be maintained or proved. "The thesis was published in an academic journal and received widespread recognition."

Detailed meaning of thesis

The thesis is typically a central idea or argument that is developed and presented in a written work, such as a dissertation or research paper. In higher education, a thesis is often a requirement for a graduate degree, such as a Master's or a PhD. The thesis is usually written under the supervision of a thesis advisor or mentor, and it presents original research or an original interpretation of existing research on a specific topic. The main purpose of a thesis is to contribute new knowledge and understanding to the field of study. It must be based on a rigorous research, the results must be presented in a logical and coherent manner and it must be written in a scholarly manner. Additionally, the thesis should demonstrate the student's ability to conduct independent research, to critically evaluate the existing literature, and to communicate their ideas effectively.

Example sentences containing thesis

1. Her thesis on renewable energy proposed innovative solutions for sustainability. 2. The professor praised the clarity of his student's thesis on social inequality. 3. The thesis of his argument was that technology enhances human communication. 4. The thesis of the book challenged conventional wisdom on economic policy. 5. Grad students often spend years researching and writing their theses. 6. The thesis behind the research project aimed to address pressing health issues.

History and etymology of thesis

The noun ' thesis ' has its etymological roots in ancient Greek. It is derived from the Greek word 'θέσις' (thésis), which means 'a setting down' or 'a position.' In the context of ancient Greece, ' thesis ' was used to refer to a proposition or statement that was put forward as the basis of an argument or discussion. It represented a foundational idea or premise that was to be maintained or proved through reasoning and evidence. As the term entered the English language, it retained this fundamental sense and is now commonly used to describe a statement or theory that serves as the central point of an argument or research project. It embodies the concept of a position or assertion that is presented for examination and verification. Therefore, the etymology of ' thesis ' underscores its use as a noun to denote a statement or theory set forth as a premise to be upheld or substantiated.

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Further usage examples of thesis

1. She defended her thesis before a panel of expert examiners. 2. The conference featured presentations on a wide range of academic theses. 3. His groundbreaking thesis reshaped the field of quantum physics. 4. The thesis statement should encapsulate the main argument of your essay. 5. The thesis explored the intersection of art, culture, and identity in society. 6. The professor praised the student's thesis for its originality and depth. 7. His thesis explored the intersection of psychology and literature. 8. The defense of her thesis was a nerve-wracking but rewarding experience. 9. The thesis statement succinctly summarized the main argument of the paper. 10. The committee members engaged in a lively debate about the merits of the thesis . 11. The thesis proposed a new framework for understanding economic inequality. 12. After hours of editing, her thesis was finally ready for submission. 13. The library had an extensive collection of theses from various academic fields. 14. He was awarded a scholarship for his outstanding thesis on urban planning. 15. The thesis challenged existing theories and presented a fresh perspective. 16. The thesis project required extensive fieldwork and data analysis. 17. Her thesis was published in a reputable journal, gaining widespread recognition. 18. The thesis defense was attended by faculty members, peers, and family. 19. The thesis examined the historical context of the Renaissance art movement. 20. The graduate student presented her thesis findings at an international conference. 21. The thesis highlighted the need for further research in the field of genetics. 22. The thesis concluded with a call to action for policy changes in healthcare. 23. The advisor provided valuable guidance throughout the thesis writing process. 24. The thesis was a culmination of years of research and academic dedication.

https://static.wixstatic.com/media/eb68db_c76b20eee4f544739692acee8c95f51e~mv2.jpg, https://static.wixstatic.com/media/eb68db_14656208e4464bb1a273d7ac7b8c2c94~mv2.jpg, https://static.wixstatic.com/media/eb68db_c3952e52756542aa8faaaa2b25f9be00~mv2.jpg, https://static.wixstatic.com/media/eb68db_d757bc63d7994d5a85f0a9fb1a72ce57~mv2.jpg, https://static.wixstatic.com/media/eb68db_2cfea7e709504d5c8f6e4f13a02e7288~mv2.jpg, https://static.wixstatic.com/media/eb68db_8d472ca04c55431b968d52a6a249030a~mv2.jpg

Advancement and Improvement, Analytical and Interpretive, Nuance and Precision, Resilience and Resolve, Endeavor and Pursuit, Education and Mastery

argument,assertion,hypothesis,postulate,proposition,supposition

idea,proposal,subject

Synonyms for thesis

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proposition, fact, certainty, proof

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