θέσις

Pronunciation

• IPA (5th-century BC Attic): /tʰé.sis/^[1]
• IPA (4th-century AD Koine): /ˈθe.sis/^[1]
• IPA (10th-century Byzantine): /ˈθe.sis/^[1]

Forms

θέσῐς (thésis) f (genitive θέσεως); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from τίθημι (títhēmi, “to put, place”) with the suffix -σις (-sis); it may also continue an inherited *dʰéh₁tis, from the root Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to set, make”).^[1][2] It corresponds to a Sanskrit formation found only in compounds, Sanskrit अपिहिति (ápihiti) matching ἐπίθεσις (epíthesis) and उपहिति (úpahiti) matching ὑπόθεσις (hupóthesis), and to Late Latin conditiō (“foundation”).^[2][3] Full-grade forms of the same noun are seen in Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌳𐌴𐌸𐍃 (gadēþs, “placing, adoption”), which renders Greek “adoption as sons” in Ephesians 1:5.^[3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first recorded uses are in Alcaeus and Pindar;^[2] Pindar speaks of the setting of words in verse (Olympian 3.8).^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

It is the act of setting or placing anything: laying bricks and stones (Plato), laying down arms, depositing money or court dues (Aristophanes, Lysias, Demosthenes), paying taxes, placing counters in a board game.^[4][5] Xenophon, Plato, Demosthenes and Aristotle use it for the making of laws, Plato for the giving of a name, and Diodorus for the institution of games.^[4][5] It also meant adoption, and in later Greek “by θέσις” (by adoption) was opposed to “by nature”.^[1][4] In philosophy it was a position laid down, a thesis.^[1]

It is very common in compounds of prefixed verbs: διάθεσις (diáthesis), σύνθεσις (súnthesis), ὑπόθεσις (hupóthesis).^[2] Latin borrowed it as thesis.^[6][1] The medieval and modern form is Modern Greek θέση (thési), “place, position”.^[7][1]

Timeline

• 7th–6th century BC – Alcaeus uses it.^[2][8]
• 6th–5th century BC – Pindar uses it for setting words in verse.^[4][8]
• 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses it for laying bricks and giving names.^[4][5][8]
• 4th century BC – Aristotle and Demosthenes use it for lawgiving.^[4][8]
• 1st century BC – Diodorus uses it for the institution of games.^[4][8]
• Modern Greek – θέση means place, position.^[1]

Meanings

Noun

1. A setting, placing, arrangement.^[4][1]
2. A laying down (of arms); a deposit (of money, as security); a payment.^[5][1]
3. The making (of laws), giving (of a name), institution (of games).^[4][5]
4. Adoption, of a child, or of something as one's own.^[1]
5. (philosophy) A position laid down, a thesis.^[1]

Word family

• ἀνάθεσις (anáthesis)
• ἀντίθεσις (antíthesis)
• ἀπόθεσις (apóthesis)
• διάθεσις (diáthesis)
• ἔκθεσις (ékthesis)
• ἔνθεσις (énthesis)
• ἐπίθεσις (epíthesis)
• θετικός (thetikós)
• μετάθεσις (metáthesis)
• παράθεσις (paráthesis)
• προέκθεσις (proékthesis)
• πρόθεσις (próthesis)
• πρόσθεσις (prósthesis)
• συγκατάθεσις (sunkatáthesis)

Related words

• Latin thesis
• English thesis

Usage notes

Plutarch explains the name of Theseus from the placing of the tokens by which he was later recognised.^[5]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e f Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
6. ^ Saalfeld, Günther Alexander (1874), Index Graecorum vocabulorum in linguam latinam translatorum, Berlin: Weidmann
7. ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
8. ^ a b c d e Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge