Main Entry: the·sis

Pronunciation: \ˈthē-səs, British especially for 1 ˈthe-sis\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural the·ses \ˈthē-ˌsēz\

Etymology: in sense 1, 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

Date: 14th century

1 a (1) : the unstressed part of a poetic foot especially in accentual verse (2) : the longer part of a poetic foot especially in quantitative verse b : the accented part of a musical measure : downbeat — compare arsis
2 a : a position or proposition that a person (as a candidate for scholastic honors) advances and offers to maintain by argument b : a proposition to be proved or one advanced without proof : hypothesis
3 : the first and least adequate stage of dialectic — compare synthesis
4 : a dissertation embodying results of original research and especially substantiating a specific view; especially : one written by a candidate for an academic degree