[syn.the.sis] n, pl -the.ses [Gk, fr. syntithenai to put together, fr. syn- + tithenai to put, place--more at do] (1589) 1 a: the composition or combination of parts or elements so as to form a whole b: the production of a substance by the union of chemical elements, groups, or simpler compounds or by the degradation of a complex compound c: the combining of often diverse conceptions into a coherent whole; also: the complex so formed
2. a: deductive reasoning b: the dialectic combination of thesis and antithesis into a higher stage of truth
3: the frequent and systematic use of inflected forms as a characteristic device of a language -- syn.the.sist n