treatise

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noun trea·tise \ ˈtrē-təs also -təz \

Definition of treatise

1 :a systematic exposition or argument in writing including a methodical discussion of the facts and principles involved and conclusions reached

a treatise on higher education

2 obsolete :account, tale

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Recent Examples of treatise from the Web

Some went beyond a simple tweet, putting together treatises addressing the public reaction and their optimism for future T-Swift songs.

— chris morris, Fortune, "Don’t Like the New Taylor Swift Song? You’re Not Alone," 25 Aug. 2017
Book party for that executive who wrote a super-boring treatise on project management?

— kate lopaze, USA TODAY, "How to get the most out of your internship," 17 Aug. 2017
Amid all this spatial ambiguity, Algierians have understandably felt estranged from their metropolitan brethren, left out of everything from historical treatises to modern investments.

— richard campanella, NOLA.com, "How Algiers grudgingly became part of New Orleans," 8 Aug. 2017
Roberts, a food law scholar, published the first major treatise on the field in the United States this year.

— tanner walters, SI.com, "What Can Be Done To Improve Food Safety at MLB Ballparks?," 8 Aug. 2017
The book becomes a treatise about not just the complexities of desire in the modern era, but also the complexities of being a young woman in the world, with all of the potential heights and hazards that follow along.

— isobel thompson, Vogue, "Sally Rooney Sees Right Through You," 28 July 2017
Conservative thinkers will write treatises on the pernicious influence of radical intellectuals and call for a new type of American university.

— elliot kaufman, National Review, "The Next Right-Wing Populist Will Win by Attacking American Higher Education," 13 July 2017
Her movie reviews were cultural criticism, sociological treatise, personal essay.

— lili anolik, VanityFair.com, "Warren Beatty, Pauline Kael, and an Epic Hollywood Mistake," 19 June 2017
Where Dr. Seuss had colorful characters and catchy rhyme schemes, the Bank of England has dry treatises on inflation without a single rhyme or clever turn of phrase in sight.

— weston williams, The Christian Science Monitor, "How the Bank of England took a page from Dr. Seuss," 31 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'treatise.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of treatise

Middle English tretis, from Anglo-French tretiz, alteration of tretez, traitet, from Medieval Latin tractatus, from Latin tractare to treat, handle

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

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Other Literature Terms

apophasis, bathos, bildungsroman, bowdlerize, caesura, coda, doggerel, euphemism, poesy, prosody

TREATISE Defined for English Language Learners

treatise

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noun

Definition of treatise for English Language Learners

: a book, article, etc., that discusses a subject carefully and thoroughly

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Definition of treatise

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treatise

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