thesis

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈθiːsɪs/, /ˈθɛsɪs/ (UK); /ˈθisɪs/, /ˈθisiz/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin thesis (“unaccented syllable in poetry”),^[2][3] from Greek θέσις (thésis, “a setting down, placing; a proposition; the downbeat in music”),^[2][3][4] from the root of τιθέναι (tithénai, “to place, put”) (see do),^[2][4][5] from Proto-Indo-European *dhe-, to set, put.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

In prosody, an unaccented syllable or note, a lowering of the voice: before 1398, in Trevisa's translation of Bartholomaeus.^[2][3][6]

Semantic evolution

The Latin prosodic sense was later, and more correctly, the stressed part of a metrical foot;^[3][2] English use of the stressed sense is from the 19th century,^[4] and Etymonline suggests that this uncertainty kept the prosodic sense from becoming established.^[3] A proposition laid down to be proved or defended is first recorded in 1579,^[2][6] and a dissertation written by a candidate for a university degree in 1653.^[2][6][3] A theme for a school exercise is from before 1774.^[6]

Timeline

• before 1398 – an unaccented syllable.^[2]
• 1579 – a proposition.^[2]
• 1653 – a dissertation.^[2]
• before 1774 – a school theme.^[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A dissertation presenting original research, especially for an academic degree.
2. A proposition maintained by argument.
3. A hypothesis, especially one put forward without proof.
4. (philosophy) The first stage of the Hegelian dialectic.
5. (prosody) The stressed part of a metrical foot in quantitative verse, or the unstressed part in accentual verse.

Related words

• antithesis
• hypothesis
• prosthesis
• prothesis
• synthesis
• thetic
• parenthesis
• theme

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press