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 arsis2 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 : hypothesis3: the first and least adequate stage of dialectic — compare synthesis4: a dissertation embodying results of original research and especially substantiating a specific view ; especially : one written by a candidate for an academic degree