Adjacent Words

Thesis definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

THE'SIS, n. [L. thesis; Gr. a position, to set.]
1. A position or proposition which a person advances and offers to maintain, or which is actually maintained by argument; a theme; a subject.
2. In logic, every proposition may be divided into thesis and hypothesis. Thesis contains the thing affirmed or denied, and hypothesis the conditions of the affirmation or negation.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an unproved statement put forward as a premise in an argument
2: a treatise advancing a new point of view resulting from research; usually a requirement for an advanced academic degree [syn: dissertation, thesis]

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural theses) 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

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (pl. theses) 1 a proposition to be maintained or proved. 2 a dissertation, esp. by a candidate for a degree. 3 an unstressed syllable or part of a metrical foot in Greek or Latin verse (opp. ARSIS). Etymology: ME f. LL f. Gk, = putting, placing, a proposition etc. f. the- root of tithemi place

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Thesis The"sis, n.; pl. Theses. [L., fr. Gr. ?, fr. ? to place, set. See Do, and cf. Anathema, Apothecary, Epithet, Hypothesis, Parenthesis, Theme, Tick a cover.] 1. A position or proposition which a person advances and offers to maintain, or which is actually maintained by argument. 2. Hence, an essay or dissertation written upon specific or definite theme; especially, an essay presented by a candidate for a diploma or degree. I told them of the grave, becoming, and sublime deportment they should assume upon this mystical occasion, and read them two homilies and a thesis of my own composing, to prepare them. --Goldsmith. 3. (Logic) An affirmation, or distinction from a supposition or hypothesis. 4. (Mus.) The accented part of the measure, expressed by the downward beat; -- the opposite of arsis. 5. (Pros.) (a) The depression of the voice in pronouncing the syllables of a word. (b) The part of the foot upon which such a depression falls.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(theses) 1. A thesis is an idea or theory that is expressed as a statement and is discussed in a logical way. This thesis does not stand up to close inspection. = argument N-COUNT 2. A thesis is a long piece of writing based on your own ideas and research that you do as part of a university degree, especially a higher degree such as a PhD. N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Proposition, position, dictum, doctrine. 2. Theme, subject, topic, text. 3. Essay, dissertation, composition. 4. (Log.) Affirmation.

Moby Thesaurus

Alexandrine, a priori principle, accent, accentuation, affirmation, amphibrach, amphimacer, anacrusis, anapest, antispast, apriorism, argument, argumentation, arsis, article, assertion, assumed position, assumption, axiom, bacchius, basis, beat, belief, bout, cadence, caesura, catalexis, categorical proposition, causerie, chloriamb, chloriambus, circle, circuit, colon, conjecture, contention, contestation, counterpoint, course, cretic, cycle, dactyl, dactylic hexameter, data, descant, diaeresis, diastole, dimeter, dipody, discourse, discussion, disquisition, dissertation, dochmiac, downbeat, elegiac, elegiac couplet, elegiac pentameter, emphasis, epitrite, essay, etude, examination, excursus, exposition, feature, feminine caesura, first approach, first principles, foot, foundation, grammatical accent, ground, guesswork, heptameter, heptapody, heroic couplet, hexameter, hexapody, homily, hypothesis, hypothesis ad hoc, iamb, iambic, iambic pentameter, ictus, idea, inference, intonation, intonation pattern, introductory study, ionic, jingle, lemma, lilt, lucubration, major premise, masculine caesura, measure, memoir, meter, metrical accent, metrical foot, metrical group, metrical unit, metron, minor premise, molossus, monograph, mora, morceau, movement, note, notion, numbers, opinion, outline, paeon, pandect, paper, paragraph, pentameter, pentapody, period, philosopheme, philosophical proposition, piece, pitch accent, point, posit, position, postulate, postulation, postulatum, precept, preliminary study, premise, premiss, presumption, presupposal, presupposition, proceleusmatic, prolegomenon, proposition, propositional function, pulse, pyrrhic, quantity, research paper, revolution, rhetorical accent, rhythm, rhythmical accent, rotation, round, screed, sentiments, series, set of postulates, sketch, special article, spell, spondee, sprung rhythm, statement, stress, stress accent, stress arsis, study, sumption, supposal, supposing, supposition, surmise, survey, swing, systole, syzygy, term paper, tetrameter, tetrapody, tetraseme, theme, theorem, theory, tone accent, tract, tractate, treatise, treatment, tribrach, trimeter, tripody, triseme, trochee, truth table, truth-function, truth-value, turn, upbeat, view, views, wheel, working hypothesis