the ‧ sis AC /ˈθiːsəs, ˈθiːsɪs/ BrE AmE noun ( plural theses /-siːz/) [countable]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: Greek , 'act of laying down' , from tithenai 'to put, lay down' ]
1 . a long piece of writing about a particular subject that you do as part of an advanced university degree such as an MA or a PhD:
Cynthia’s still working on her thesis.
graduate/master’s/doctoral thesis
He wrote his doctoral thesis on contemporary French literature.
2 . formal an idea or opinion about something, that you discuss in a formal way and give examples for:
Their main thesis was that the rise in earnings was due to improvements in education.
3 . American English in writing, the thesis is the sentence or group of sentences which state what the main idea of an ↑ essay is:
a paragraph introducing your thesis statement
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THESAURUS
▪ essay a piece of writing written by a student as part of a course of study:
We had to write an essay about the environment.
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Have you handed in your essay yet?
▪ paper an essay written by a someone who has studied a subject as part of their research. Paper is also used about an essay that you have to write for a class at school, especially in American English:
The professor has published over forty scientific papers on diseases of tropical crops
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At the beginning of the school year we had to write a paper about our interests.
▪ dissertation a long essay written as part of a university degree:
In the third year of their course, students have to write a 10,000 word dissertation on a topic that has been approved by their tutor.
▪ thesis a very long essay that is part of an advanced university degree such as a master’s degree or a doctorate:
He wrote his doctoral thesis on the literature of the English romantic movement.