[the.sis] n, pl the.ses [in sense 1, ME, fr. LL & Gk; LL, lowering of the voice, fr. Gk, downbeat, more important part of a foot, lit., act of laying down; in other senses, L, fr. Gk, lit., act of laying down, fr. tithenai to put, lay down--more at do] (14c) 1 a (1): the unstressed part of a poetic foot esp. in accentual verse (2): the longer part of a poetic foot esp. 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 esp. substantiating a specific view; esp: one written by a candidate for an academic degree