n.
Pronunciation: ' th ē -s ə s, Brit esp for 1 ' the-sis
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural the · ses \ ' th ē - ˌ s ē z \
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