greek etymology of thesis

• 1.1 Etymology
• 1.2 Pronunciation
• 1.3.1 Derived terms
• 1.3.2 Related terms
• 1.3.3 Translations
• 1.4 References
• 1.5 Further reading
• 1.6 Anagrams
• 2.1 Etymology
• 2.2 Pronunciation
• 3.1 Etymology
• 3.2 Pronunciation
• 3.3.1 Declension
• 3.3.2 Descendants
• 3.4 References

English [ edit ]

Etymology [ edit ].

From Late Middle English thesis ( “ lowering of the voice ” ) [1] and also borrowed directly from its etymon Latin thesis ( “ proposition, thesis; lowering of the voice ” ) , from Ancient Greek θέσῐς ( thésis , “ arrangement, placement, setting; conclusion, position, thesis; lowering of the voice ” ) , from τῐ́θημῐ ( títhēmi , “ to place, put, set; to put down in writing; to consider as, regard ” ) [2] [3] (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ( “ to do; to place, put ” ) ) + -σῐς ( -sis , suffix forming abstract nouns or nouns of action, process, or result ) . The English word is a doublet of deed .

Sense 1.1 (“proposition or statement supported by arguments”) is adopted from antithesis . [2] Sense 1.4 (“initial stage of reasoning”) was first used by the German philosopher Johann Gottlieb Fichte (1762–1814), and later applied to the dialectical method of his countryman, the philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770–1831).

The plural form theses is borrowed from Latin thesēs , from Ancient Greek θέσεις ( théseis ) .

Pronunciation [ edit ]

• ( Received Pronunciation ) IPA ( key ) : /ˈθiːsɪs/ , ( archaic ) /ˈθɛsɪs/
• ( General American ) IPA ( key ) : /ˈθisɪs/
• Rhymes: -iːsɪs
• Hyphenation: the‧sis
• ( Received Pronunciation ) IPA ( key ) : /ˈθiːsiːz/
• ( General American ) IPA ( key ) : /ˈθisiz/
• Rhymes: -iːsiːz
• Hyphenation: the‧ses

Noun [ edit ]

thesis ( plural theses )

• ( rhetoric ) A proposition or statement supported by arguments .
• 1766 , [ Oliver Goldsmith ], “The Conclusion”, in The Vicar of Wakefield:   [ … ] , volume II, Salisbury, Wiltshire: [ … ] B. Collins, for F [ rancis ] Newbery ,   [ … ] , →OCLC ; reprinted London: Elliot Stock , 1885 , →OCLC , pages 218–219 : 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, in order to prepare them.
• ( mathematics , computer science ) A conjecture , especially one too vague to be formally stated or verified but useful as a working convention.
• ( logic ) An affirmation , or distinction from a supposition or hypothesis .
• ( philosophy ) In the dialectical method of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel : the initial stage of reasoning where a formal statement of a point is developed ; this is followed by antithesis and synthesis .
• ( music , prosody , originally ) The action of lowering the hand or bringing down the foot when indicating a rhythm ; hence, an accented part of a measure of music or verse indicated by this action; an ictus , a stress . Antonym: arsis
• ( music , prosody , with a reversal of meaning ) A depression of the voice when pronouncing a syllables of a word ; hence, the unstressed part of the metrical foot of a verse upon which such a depression falls , or an unaccented musical note .

Derived terms [ edit ]

• all but thesis
• bachelor's thesis
• Church-Turing thesis
• conflict thesis
• doctoral thesis
• graduate thesis
• Habakkuk thesis
• master's thesis
• Merton thesis
• private language thesis
• thesis defense
• thesis film
• thesis statement

Related terms [ edit ]

Translations [ edit ], references [ edit ].

• ^ “ thē̆sis, n. ”, in MED Online , Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan , 2007 .
• ^ “ thesis, n. ”, in Lexico , Dictionary.com ; Oxford University Press , 2019–2022 .

Further reading [ edit ]

• “ thesis ”, in The Century Dictionary   [ … ] , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co. , 1911 , →OCLC .
• “ thesis ”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary , Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam , 1913 , →OCLC .

Anagrams [ edit ]

• Heists , Sethis , heists , shiest , shites , sithes , thises

Dutch [ edit ]

From Latin thesis , from Ancient Greek θέσις ( thésis , “ a proposition, a statement, a thing laid down, thesis in rhetoric, thesis in prosody ” ) .

thesis   f ( plural theses or thesissen , diminutive thesisje   n )

• Dated form of these . Synonyms: dissertatie , proefschrift , scriptie

Latin [ edit ]

From Ancient Greek θέσις ( thésis , “ a proposition, a statement, a thing laid down, thesis in rhetoric, thesis in prosody ” ) .

• ( Classical ) IPA ( key ) : /ˈtʰe.sis/ , [ˈt̪ʰɛs̠ɪs̠]
• ( modern Italianate Ecclesiastical ) IPA ( key ) : /ˈte.sis/ , [ˈt̪ɛːs̬is]

thesis   f ( genitive thesis ) ; third declension

Declension [ edit ]

Descendants [ edit ].

• → Dutch: thesis
• → Armenian: թեզ ( tʻez )
• → Dutch: these
• → Persian: تز ( tez )
• → Romanian: teză
• → Turkish: tez
• Galician: tese
• Italian: tesi
• English: thesis
• Portuguese: tese
• Spanish: tesis
• “ thesis ”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short ( 1879 ) A Latin Dictionary , Oxford: Clarendon Press
• thesis in Gaffiot, Félix ( 1934 ) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français , Hachette.

• English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
• English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *dʰeh₁-
• English terms inherited from Middle English
• English terms derived from Middle English
• English terms borrowed from Latin
• English terms derived from Latin
• English terms derived from Ancient Greek
• English doublets
• English 2-syllable words
• English terms with IPA pronunciation
• English terms with audio links
• Rhymes:English/iːsɪs
• Rhymes:English/iːsɪs/2 syllables
• Rhymes:English/iːsiːz
• English lemmas
• English nouns
• English countable nouns
• English nouns with irregular plurals
• en:Rhetoric
• English terms with quotations
• en:Mathematics
• en:Computer science
• en:Philosophy
• English contranyms
• Dutch terms derived from Latin
• Dutch terms derived from Ancient Greek
• Dutch terms with audio links
• Dutch lemmas
• Dutch nouns
• Dutch nouns with Latin plurals
• Dutch nouns with plural in -en
• Dutch feminine nouns
• Dutch dated forms
• Latin terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
• Latin terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *dʰeh₁-
• Latin terms borrowed from Ancient Greek
• Latin terms derived from Ancient Greek
• Latin 2-syllable words
• Latin terms with IPA pronunciation
• Latin lemmas
• Latin nouns
• Latin third declension nouns
• Latin feminine nouns in the third declension
• Latin feminine nouns
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• Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations
• Russian terms with non-redundant manual transliterations

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Definition of thesis

Did you know.

In high school, college, or graduate school, students often have to write a thesis on a topic in their major field of study. In many fields, a final thesis is the biggest challenge involved in getting a master's degree, and the same is true for students studying for a Ph.D. (a Ph.D. thesis is often called a dissertation ). But a thesis may also be an idea; so in the course of the paper the student may put forth several theses (notice the plural form) and attempt to prove them.

Examples of thesis in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thesis.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

in sense 3, 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

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a(1)

Dictionary Entries Near thesis

the sins of the fathers are visited upon the children

thesis novel

Cite this Entry

“Thesis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thesis. Accessed 17 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of thesis, more from merriam-webster on thesis.

Nglish: Translation of thesis for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of thesis for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about thesis

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Definition of thesis noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

• Students must submit a thesis on an agreed subject within four years.
• He presented this thesis for his PhD.
• a thesis for a master's degree
• He's doing a doctoral thesis on the early works of Shostakovich.
• Many departments require their students to do a thesis defense.
• She completed an MSc by thesis.
• her thesis adviser at MIT
• in a/​the thesis
• thesis about

Join our community to access the latest language learning and assessment tips from Oxford University Press!

• The basic thesis of the book is fairly simple.
• These latest findings support the thesis that sexuality is determined by nature rather than choice.
• formulate/​advance a theory/​hypothesis
• build/​construct/​create/​develop a simple/​theoretical/​mathematical model
• develop/​establish/​provide/​use a theoretical/​conceptual framework
• advance/​argue/​develop the thesis that…
• explore an idea/​a concept/​a hypothesis
• make a prediction/​an inference
• base a prediction/​your calculations on something
• investigate/​evaluate/​accept/​challenge/​reject a theory/​hypothesis/​model
• design an experiment/​a questionnaire/​a study/​a test
• do research/​an experiment/​an analysis
• make observations/​measurements/​calculations
• carry out/​conduct/​perform an experiment/​a test/​a longitudinal study/​observations/​clinical trials
• run an experiment/​a simulation/​clinical trials
• repeat an experiment/​a test/​an analysis
• replicate a study/​the results/​the findings
• observe/​study/​examine/​investigate/​assess a pattern/​a process/​a behaviour
• fund/​support the research/​project/​study
• seek/​provide/​get/​secure funding for research
• collect/​gather/​extract data/​information
• yield data/​evidence/​similar findings/​the same results
• analyse/​examine the data/​soil samples/​a specimen
• consider/​compare/​interpret the results/​findings
• fit the data/​model
• confirm/​support/​verify a prediction/​a hypothesis/​the results/​the findings
• prove a conjecture/​hypothesis/​theorem
• draw/​make/​reach the same conclusions
• read/​review the records/​literature
• describe/​report an experiment/​a study
• present/​publish/​summarize the results/​findings
• present/​publish/​read/​review/​cite a paper in a scientific journal
• The results of the experiment support his central thesis.
• Most people rejected this thesis at the time because it presumed evolution rather than creation.
• fundamental

Nearby words

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First Drafts

Classics@15: a concise inventory of greek etymology.

Citation:   Levaniouk, Olga, ed. 2017–. “A Concise Inventory of Greek Etymology.” Special issue, Classics@ 15. http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:hlnc.jissue:ClassicsAt.Issue15.A_Concise_Inventory_of_Greek_Etymologies.2017 .

A Concise Inventory of Greek Etymologies

ἐν δὲ δικαιοσύνῃ συλλήβδην πᾶσ᾿ἀρετή᾿στί

ábhūd u pārám étave pánthā r̥tásya sādhuyā́

sīṣ̌ā nā̊ aṣ̌ā paϑō   vaŋhə̄uš xvaētəṇg manaŋhō

A less well-attested exegetic tradition explains -phóntēs as a derivative of phaínō ‘to (make) appear’ (φαίνω), compare

• It is unlikely that * pháōn would contract into * phõn and appear as such in Greek hexameter poetry: * pháōn would probably have been spelled as disyllabic, maybe with diektasis , * phóōn . However, a univerbized form as * Argeïpháōn or * Argeïphóōn could have been reshaped into Argeïphóntēs to comply with the requirements of Greek hexameter.
• If a form * -phõn existed it could have reflected a new formation on * b h n̥- or p h an- , that is to say, a reshaping which took place when the vowel alternance a / o had not yet been abandoned as a synchronic regularity, as proposed by Peters (1993:104, fn. 84).

One may add that Dáeira ’s connection to ‘water’ is also reflected by her mythological pedigree. According to Pherecydes (fragment 45 Fowler) she is the sister of River Styx, while Pausanias (1.38.7) identifies her as the daughter of Okeanos. All these data provide support for Nikolaev’s (2019) etymology: Dáeira is a substantivized feminine adjective of the same type as Greek píeira , Sanskrit pī́varī ‘fat’, with a suffix * -u̯er-ih 2 entangling a possessive meaning ‘having/possessing X.’ The basis * da- of Dá-(w)eira could be connected with the same root figuring in several names of rivers or mythological/divine figures linked to the element ‘water’, such as OInd. Dānu- (name of the water serpent Vr̥tra), Scythian Tanais , Irish Danu , Welsh Don , Lithuanian Dunōjus , Latvian Duņavas , Germanic Danube , and the Greek god’s name Poseidon ( Poseidáōn ), which is commonly etymologized as ‘Lord of the Water(s)’ (maybe reflecting an univerbation of a vocative ‘O Lord of the Waters!’). To sum up: Dáeira or Daîra , daughter of the Ocean and sister of the Stynx, is to be identified as the ‘Lady of the Waters.’ Beekes, R. 2010. Etymological Dictionary of Greek . Leiden / Boston: Brill. Frisk, H. 1960. Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch . 1. Band (Α–Κ). Heidelberg: Winter. Nikolaev, A. ΔΑΕΙΡΑ, the lady of the waters. In: Nikolai Kazanski (ed.): Indo-European Linguistics and Classical Philology XXIII. Proceedings of the 23rd Conference in Memory of Professor Joseph M. Tronsky, June 24–26, 2019 , 790–795. Saint Petersburg: Nauka.   Laura Massetti 2021.05.03 δαίς ( dais ) A. Nagy comments on the notion of ‘division’ latent in daís and overt in the Homeric expression δαιτὸς ἐίσης ‘of an equal daís ’. “Not just for Achilles but for any Homeric character, the eating of meat at feasts is by nature a sacrificial occasion: in the words of George M. Calhoun, “every meal was a sacrifice and an act of worship, and every sacrifice a meal.” This statement may be overly one-dimensional in its view of epic action, but it remains a valid observation about the contents of Homeric narrative: feasts where meat is consumed are indeed regularly occasioned by sacrifice. The Homeric word for such occasions is daís / daítē (e.g. Odyssey 3.33/44, etc.), and both nouns are etymologically derived from the verb daíomai ‘divide, apportion, allot’. Consider the following Homeric collocation of verb and noun:

A further Daina explicitly confirms that Saule turns red during the night:

Dainas may preserve a further link between the color red and the travel of the Sun-goddess. In one folksong, attested in the Latvian regions of Vidzeme, Kurzeme and Zemgale, Saule’s vehicle on the Daugava is pulled by a red fish :

Significantly, the Latvian name of the red-fish, rauda , is an etymological congener of Erútheia , since it reflects a thematic derivative * h 1 roud h – o – ‘red’, also underlying Vedic lohá – ‘red metal’, Umbrian rofu , rofa , Gothic rauþs , Old Irish rúad ‘red.’ In conclusion: as a character, Erútheia is the red Evening goddess who helps the Sun-god Helios during his nocturnal travel. The association between the color red and an evening-goddess may reflect an Indo-European pattern, since in the Baltic tradition, the same color is associated with the nocturnal travel of the Sun. Afanas’ev, A. N. 1865. Poetičeskie vozzreniya slavyan na prirodu . Tom 1. Moskva: Izd. Soldatenkova. Massetti, L. 2019. “Antimachus’s Enigma: On Eruytheia, the Latvian Sun-goddess and a Red Fish.” The Journal of Indo-European Studies 47 1/2.223–240.   Laura Massetti 2021.04.15 Ἐρυσίχθων ( Erusíkhthōn ) Erusíkhthōn (Ἐρυσίχθων) is the name of a prince who is afflicted with such an insatiable hunger that he turns into the famine demon Aíthōn (Αἴθων, ‘Mr. Burning’), compare Hesiod fragment 43a.2–6 Merkelbach-West Ἐρυσίχθονος […] τὸν δ’ Αἴθων’ ἐκάλεσσαν ἐπ]ών[υ]μ̣[ο]ν εἵνεκα λιμοῦ || αἴθωνος κρατεροῦ ‘of Erysichthon […] him they also called Aithon] by name because of his hunger, blazing strong.’ According to Callimachus’ Hymn to Demeter and Ovid’s Metamorphoses 8.728–778, Erusíkhthōn is guilty of cutting down the trees from the sacred grove of Demeter and is punished by the goddess with unrelenting appetite:

• warriors dragging off dead bodies ( nekrón , nekroús , see Iliad 5.573+) for plunder or ransom;
• dogs and birds of prey dragging corpses and tearing them apart, e.g. Iliad 11.454 οἰωνοὶ ὠμησταὶ ἐρύουσι ‘but the birds that eat raw flesh will rend (you)’;
• the violent dragging of someone by one of his/her body-parts, indicated in the genitive case, by means of a complement [ἐκ – body-part gen. ] or an equivalent adverb, see, for instance, Odyssey 22.187–188 τὼ δ᾿ ἄρ᾿ ἐπαΐξανθ᾿ ἑλέτην ἔρυσάν τέ μιν εἴσω || κουρίξ “then the two of them sprung upon and seized him. They dragged him (: Melanthios) in by the hair ”;
• the vehement extraction of an object from a surface, e.g. Iliad 16.862–863 δόρυ χάλκεον ἐξ ὠτειλῆς || εἴρυσε λὰξ προσβάς “ he drew the spear of bronze out of the wound, planting his heel (on the dead man)”
• the ripping of a plant, e.g. Odyssey 10.302–303 ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας πόρε φάρμακον Ἀργεϊφόντης || ἐκ γαίης ἐρύσας “so saying, Argeïphontes gave me the herb, pulling it out of the ground .”

Remarkably, erusíkhthōn occurs as an epithet of a plowing animal in a fragment by the comic poet Straton (4th–3rd century BCE):

Εὐρύφάεσσα ( Eurupháessa )

The interpretation of the river’s name is debated. Kretschmer (1937:207–210) proposed to connect ēri – with the term ἠρίον ( ēríon ) ‘hill’. Differently, Pokorny (1969:193–197) proposed that the name was an adapted borrowing from * Rhodanos , through an Iberic mediation * Errodanos , which was ‘Hellenized’ as Ēridanós .

According to the myth (compare, for example, [Apollodorus] Library 3.10.7), Tyndareos is Kástōr’ s father, while Zeus is Poludeúkēs ’ father. This myth may have parallels in Old Indic (Frame 2009:62–76 and Pirart 1995) As explained by Nagy (2013, 0§5), since immortality is ‘a recessive gene’ in Greek mythology, “the absolute mortality of Castor is symmetrically counterbalanced by [the] absolute immortality [of Pollux]” (Nagy 2016, with my addenda or changes between square brackets). That is, if Pollux had been the only child of Zeus and Leda, the combination of a mortal woman with an immortal god would have resulted in Pollux being a mortal. However, Kástōr and Poludeúkēs are born as twins and manage to recombine their absolute (im)mortality components. After Kástōr is killed in a fight against Idas and Lynkeus, a rival pair of twins from Messenia (compare Pindar, Nemean Ten ), Poludeúkēs makes a mystical deal with Zeus. Accordingly, both Kástōr and Poludeúkēs become half immortal and half mortal, but count as dominantly immortal as a pair. Remarkably, the cosmological visualizations of the Dioskouroi imagine them as coexisting in alternating times and places, as when they represent the Morning and the Evening Star, Lucifer and Hesperus (compare Nagy 1990:258–259, Frame 2009: 74–84). In this connection, it is significant that the cosmological dimension of the Greek Dióskouroi matches that of the Vedic and Baltic Divine Twins (Mannhardt 1857). The characteristics and myths of the Vedic Aśvins/Nāsatyas (see →  Néstōr ), the Lithuanian Diẽvo sunẽliai , and the Latvian Dieva dēli also mythologize the cosmological functions of the Morning and Evening Star, the (alternating) escorts of the Sun by day and night (compare Gotō 2009 on the Vedic twins). Indeed, within the three Indo-European traditions the Divine Twins are related or connected with Sun-deities or characters associated with the sun: the Dioskouroi are brothers of Helen, who is commonly thought to have inherited some features belonging to the Indo-European Sun-Maiden (Jackson 2006, see → Diòs thugáthēr ); the Aśvins/Nāsatyas woo or marry the Sun-Maiden Sūryā; the Baltic ‘Sons of God’ rescue the Sun-goddess Saule or are the groomsmen of the Sun-Maiden. Names and attributes of the Divine Twins in Greek, Vedic, and Baltic are also the same: the twin gods are young, splendid, and extremely mobile. They are indeed associated with ‘horses’, ‘boats’ and ‘chariots’ (compare Ginevra (forthc.) with reference to an Old Norse comparandum). The juncture ‘ Kástōr tamer of horses’ ( Kástora th’ hippódamon , see above) thus perfectly aligns with the standard traits of the Indo-European Divine Twins. From the etymological point of view, Kastōr is a – tor -agent noun built on the Indo-European root *( s ) ḱend – ‘to appear, become visible’, which, among others, underlies the Vedic root śad ‘to excel, triumph’ (García Ramón 1992). Significantly, Vedic śad , which mostly applies to the Dawn goddess Uṣas in the Rigveda , is once referred to the Divine Twins and their ‘swift (horses)’ (Pirart 1995: 160–161): In Rigveda 1.116, a hymn to the Aśvins enumerating their many achievements, the gods are said to have been exulting ( śā́śadānā ) thanks to their swift-speeding animals, compare

• the Sabellic adjective cyprum , glossed as bonum ‘good’ by Varro, which lived on in the divine appellative cupra dea (i.e. bona dea ‘Good Goddess’), and in the Italian toponym Cupra Marittima ;
• the South Picenian adverb < kuprí > (AQ 2, Capestrano) ‘beautifully’ (as a last reference, see Martzloff 2011:196);
• the Old Irish compound accobor (reflecting *ad-kŭpro- ) ‘desire’, related to the verb ad·cobra ‘he wishes, desires’;
• the Lycian verb kupri – ‘to want’ (Serangeli: forthcoming), whose denominative formation matches the structure of the Old Irish verb.

This set of forms speaks for the existence of a ró -adjective, *kupró- ‘desirable’, which was substantivized into *kupri – ‘desire’ through the morpheme – i -. Kúpris is therefore the personification of ‘Desire’.

The term has been interpreted as / māi gāi / ‘for mother earth’ by Ruijgh (1996) and as a dative / magāi / ‘for the kneading’ by Palaima (2000–2001). Both these interpretations are problematic: / māi gāi / ‘for mother earth’ is linguistically defendable, but incompatible with the context of the Thebes tablet Fq 254; / magāi / ‘for the kneading’ is linguistically difficult since it does not match its alleged alphabetical Greek correspondent máza (μάζα, from * mag i̯a -). It is more likely that Mycenean ma-ka conceals / Margāi / ‘for Margas’, the dative of a personal name, or/ margāi /, dative of a feminine form margā -. Since ma-ka parallels de-qo-no / deik w no- /, alphabetical Greek deípnon ‘banquet’ in the tablet, and it is allotted a large amount of barley, the possible meaning of the noun may be ‘repast’ or ‘large repast’. Both Mycenean ma-ka and Greek márgos can be traced back to the Indo-European root * merg- ‘to divide, cut’, which underlies the Hittite verb mark- / mark- ḫḫif ‘to separate, butcher’ as well as several words for ‘border(land)’, such as, among others, Young Avestan marəza- ‘borderland’, Latin margo , marginis ‘boundary’, Old Norse mǫrk – ‘forest, (border)land’ and Old Irish mruig ‘borderland’. As for Greek márgos and Mycenean ma-ka , they could reflect a syllabification marg- of the zero-grade (instead of the expected outcome * brag -), which could be explained as secondary and analogical to that of the full-grade * morg – or * merg -. This kind of syllabification is just like the one seen in the Mycenean and Greek congeners of the Indo-European root * kerp – ‘to seize’, Mycenean ka-po / karpos /, Alphabetical Greek karpós (καρπός) ‘fruit’. Both the -o-full-grade morg – and the -e-full-grade merg – are attested in Greek glosses:

More specifically, since Greek names in -eús usually pair with names in -o- , just as in the case of h ippeús ‘horseman’ and h íppos ‘horse’ (Schindler 1976), a name Pro-mētheús might have paired with a form reconstructable as *pro-māthó- a derivative with lengthened a- grade to the root *math 2 – ‘to rob’ (see Oettinger 2016), underlying the Sanskrit term pramātha – ‘theft’. The very same root may underlie the name of another Old Indic fire-thief. As firstly suggested by Fay (1904:155), in the Śatapatha-Brāhmaṇa (1.4.1.10-21), Agni is said to have been carried in the mouth of King Māthava , who accidentally let him flash out in pronouncing the word for ‘ghee.’ The name Māthava , who acts as a ‘fire-concealer’ in the Vedic episode, could be a further Old Indic congener of Greek Promētheús (Gotō 2000:110, 2014:241).

Nagy argues that in this passage ἐπιβρίσαις / epibrísais , derived from the verb epi-brī́thō ‘weigh heavily’, hints at húbris , since “this verb is semantically parallel to the noun húbris , the etymology of which is recapitulated in these quoted words of Pindar concerning material prosperity, ólbos , described as coming down with its full weight upon its owner.”

The sentiment of these Hesiodic lines is nearly equivalent to that expressed in Pindar’s Pythian 3.105–106, discussed by Nagy and quoted at the beginning of this entry (Nagy 1994:280–281). In both cases, the mortal is unable to bear the weight that falls upon him. In Hesiod, this weight is explicitly húbris . In Pindar, the weight is that of excessive prosperity, ólbos , but, as Nagy, suggests, a hint at húbris is contained in the participle ἐπιβρίσαις / epibrísais (derived from epi-brī́thō ‘weigh heavily’), which recapitulates the etymology of húbris (the prefix epi – (ἐπί) corresponds to hu- (ὑ-) and is followed, as in húbris , by the stem bri- ).

The parallel between barking dogs and sentinels is also found in Plato: In the Republic (375a, 375e), Plato explicitly compares the sentinels of the ideal state, phúlakes , to young dogs ( skúlakes , kúnes ). Finally, it is significant that Delphic hero Phúlakos is connected to the idea of great clamor of war. Herodotus (8.37.3) tells us that when the Persians were attacking the temple of Athena Pronaia at Delphi (480BCE) two rocks broke off from Parnassus and came rushing [[crushing?]] among them, while ‘a shout and a cry of triumph’ (βοή τε καὶ ἀλαλαγμός) came from the temple. According to the survivors, however, two local heroes, Phúlakos and Autónoos , had pursued the barbarians. The clamor heard from the temple could thus be connected with the alarm given by Phúlakos and Autónoos , the sentinels par excellence . In conclusion, Greek phúlax (and Phúlakos ) can be rightly identified as the ‘the one who gives the alarm.’ The phraseological analysis supports the etymological connection between Greek phúlax and the Indo-European root * b h elH – ‘to utter a sound.’ Kölligan, D. 2016. “Trois noms grecs en -ak-: πῖδαξ, λῦμαξ, φύλαξ.” In: A. Blanc, and D. Petit (eds.): Nouveaux acquis sur la formation des noms en grec ancien : actes du colloque international, Université de Rouen, ERIAC, 17-18 octobre 2013 , 117–133. Louvain: Peeters. Vine, B. 1999. “On ‘Cowgill’s Law’ in Greek.” In H. Eichner, H. C. Luschützky (eds.): Compositiones Indogermanicae in Memoriam Jochem Schindler , 555-600. Praha: Enigma.   Laura Massetti 2021.04.18 Χείρων, Χίρων, Χέρρων ( Kheirōn ) Chiron, the son of the nymph Philyra and of Cronus (Pherecydes fr. 2.3 M), is described in the epics as ‘the most righteous among the Centaurs’ (δικαιότατος Κενταύρων, Iliad 11.832) and as ‘having friendly thoughts’ (φίλα φρονέων, Iliad 4.219). His name is attested in three variants: Kheirōn (Χείρων) is the most recurrent in the literary sources (from Homer onward, with a few exceptions, such as Pindar, Euripides fr. 14.13 P, Acusilaus fr. 16.2 DK); Khīrōn (Χίρων) is often attested in the documentary sources (for example, Attic vase paintings of the fifth century BCE and one inscription from Thera in the sixth century BCE); Kherrōn (Χέρρων) occurs only in Alcaeus (fr. 42.9 V). If Kheirōn (Χείρων) is the original form, the name may be related to Greek kheir (χείρ) ‘hand’ (Kretschmer 1919:58–62), meaning ‘the one who has a special hand’. The form Kherrōn (Χέρρων), if genuine and not the result of a secondary ‘aeolicization’, supports this assumption (compare χέρρες ‘hands’ Sappho fr. 90[1].2 V). If Khīrōn is the primary form, the etymology is unclear. In this scenario, the forms Kheirōn and Kherrōn should both be explained as secondary formations under the influence of folk etymologies linking Chiron’s name to kheir ‘hand’ (Wachter 2001:263–264). Without any doubt, ancient literary sources connected Chiron with the ‘healing hand’ and the ‘healing practice’ ( kheirourgiā ). Indeed, Chiron mentors a number of young heroes connected with both hunting and healing, such as Jason, Aristaeus, Asclepius, and Achilles. Specifically, Pindar says that Chiron ‘taught’ his students ‘the gentle-handed province of medicines’ (Χίρων … τὸν φαρμάκων δίδαξε μαλακόχειρα νόμον, Pindar Nemean 3.53–55). Additionally, the name of Jason (Ἰάσων), one of Chiron’s pupils, actually means ‘healer’ (compare Greek ἰάομαι ‘to treat’, ἰατήρ ‘physician’). Chiron’s distinctive features are comparable to those of other divine figures who have a healing ‘hand’ (Greek kheir , Vedic hástaḥ , Hittite keššar , from the common Indo-European root *ghes -, enlarged with different suffixes) in other Indo-European traditions, namely the Vedic god Rudra, who has a ‘merciful’ ( mr̥ḷayā́kuḥ , R̥gveda 2.33.7) or ‘healing hand’ ( bheṣajaḥ … hástaḥ , R̥gveda 2.33.7), and the Hittite ‘Sun-god of the hand’ (Hittite kiššeraš D UTU-uš ) invoked in the ritual of the Catalogue des Textes Hittites 402. The three figures share an association with the activity and equipment of the hunt, that is, of the bow, arrows, and hounds. In the epics, Chiron, who is an experienced hunter, is mentioned in connection with remedies applied to arrow wounds ( Iliad 4.217–219); however, he is killed by one of Heracles’ arrows (Diodorus Siculus Library 4.12.8, Hyginus Astronomica 2.38.1). Afterwards, he is transformed either into the constellation Sagittarius (‘the arrow shooter’ Lucan Pharsalia 6.393–394) or into the constellation Centaurus (Hyginus Astronomica 2.38.1). The Vedic god Rudra controls remedies while also causing diseases and death with his arrows. He is the god ‘who possesses good arrow’ ( s u viṣúḥ , R̥gveda 5.42.11) and ‘good bow’ ( sudhánvā , R̥gveda 5.42.11), but he is also ‘men-smiting’ ( nr̥hán- , R̥gveda 4.3.6). Additionally, he protects hounds, masters of hounds, and hunters ( Vājasaneyi Saṃhitā 16.27–28). In the Hittite Ritual of Allī against Bewitching ( Catalogue des Textes Hittites 402), the Hittite kiššeraš D UTU-uš (‘Sun-god of the hand’) is opposed to a hunter clay-figure, who has hounds, arrows, and a bow. In the ritual, the hunter and his arrows represent, like Rudra’s arrows, what the ‘Sun-god of the hand’ has to remove (Mouton 2010). Chiron and Rudra have further traits in common. They are compared to or called ‘wild beasts’ (Greek φήρ; Vedic mr̥gáṃ ná bhīmám ‘like a fearful beast’, R̥gveda 2.33.11). Furthermore, they are inhabitants of mountains par excellence . Chiron dwells on Mount Pelion in Thessaly (Χείρων ἵν’ οἰκεῖ σεμνὰ Πηλίου βάθρα ‘where Chiron lives, the holy glens of Pelion’ Euripides Iphigenia at Aulis 705), and, like other Centaurs, he is a ‘mountain dweller’ (Greek oreiskōios , of all the Centaurs, Iliad 1.268). Likewise, Rudra is called ‘mountain dweller’ ( giriśayá -, Vājasaneyi Saṃhitā 16.29). Finally, Chiron and Rudra are connected with young warriors: Chiron rears several young heroes and is a wise friend of heroes and gods. He bestows upon Peleus his ‘ash spear for the smiting of men’ (μελίην φόνον ἔμμεναι ἡρώεσσιν, Iliad 16.143, 19.390), suggests that he take Thetis as his bride by force ([Apollodorus] Library 3.168), and predicts to Apollo that he will carry away the nymph Cyrene after their consensual union (Pindar Pythian 9). In the R̥gveda , Rudra is the ‘father of the Maruts’ ( pitar marutām , R̥gveda 2.33.1), a group of atmospheric deities portrayed as young warriors and young bride wooers, which vaguely recalls Chiron’s role with regard to young and unmarried heroes. In conclusion, the folk etymological association between Chiron’s name and the ‘healing hand’ might itself be based on a set of associations shared by Greek and two cognate languages, Vedic and Anatolian. Here, (semi-)divine figures dwelling in wild and liminal realms are connected to young age groups, hunting activity, and the healing of arrow wounds, which frequently occur on the occasion of hunting incidents and group fights. Therefore, Chiron, the Greek ‘Mr. (Healing) Hand’, might be interpreted as a continuation of a more ancient ‘Mr. (Healing) Hand’. Kretschmer, P. 1919. “Mythische Namen.” Glotta 10: 38–62. Massetti, L. In preparation. “Mr. Hand: On Gk. Χείρων, Rudrá – ‘of healing hand’ and Hitt. kiššeraš D UTU-uš .” Mouton, A. 2010. Rituel d’Allī d’Arzawa (CTH 402) . http://www.hethport.uni-wuerzburg.de/txhet_besrit/intro.php?xst=CTH%20402&prgr=&lg=FR&ed=A.%20Mouton . Wachter, R. 2001. Non-Attic Greek Vase Inscriptions . Oxford.   Laura Massetti 2018.05.29 Ὠκεανός ( Ōkeanós ) Ōkeanós , often translated as ‘Ocean’, is the name of a cosmic potamós ‘river’ ( Iliad 18.607, Odyssey 11.639) of Ancient Greek mythology, from whom all rivers and streams are said to flow ( Iliad 21.195-197). A Titan son of Gaia ‘Earth’ and Ouranos ‘Sky’, according to Hesiod ( Theogony 337) Okeanos was the father of all deified Potamoí ‘Rivers’ (on which see further Potamós ), whom he begot together with the female Titan Tethys (on which see further Tēthū́s ), his sister and spouse. The following are some of Okeanos’s earliest features in epic diction (as summarized in Nagy 1990:236-239) that are most relevant here: he marks the boundaries of Earth ( Iliad 14.301-302); the Sun rises from him ( Iliad 7.421-423; Odyssey 19.433-434) and falls into him at sunset ( Iliad 8.485); correspondingly, Okeanos must surround the Earth, as also shown by the fact that the scenes of everyday life on the Shield of Achilles are framed as a whole by a depiction of Okeanos along the shield’s rim ( Iliad 18.607-608). As pointed out by Nagy (1990:237), several of Okeanos’s features have correspondences in those of his and Tethys’s son Eridanos, on which see Ēridanós. An Indo-European etymology for Ōkeanós is considered unlikely by Robert Beekes (2010:1677, s.v. Ὠκεανός), who states that “since the idea of a world river is not of IE origin, the word must be a loan”, and traces it back to “a Pre-Greek form * ūkān ”: however, on the one hand, the latter reconstruction finds no parallels in any ancient or modern languages known to us; on the other hand, the belief that a generic body of water encircles the entire Earth may well be of Indo-Europeanm origin, as it is actually attested not only in the earliest Greek tradition (as argued by Nagy), but also (at least) in the Indic and Germanic ones (cf., e.g., West 2007:349 —who is, however, skeptical). Indeed, the role of Okeanos as “encircler of the Earth” has led Michael Janda (2005:231ff; 2010:57ff) to argue in favor of an IE etymology for Ancient Greek Ōkeanós that had been first formulated explicitly by Adalbert Kuhn (1860:240; building on previous proposals by Theodor Benfey and Adolphe Pictet—see Janda 2005:231-233 for a summary), namely as the reflex of an inherited formation * ō-ḱei̯m̥h 1 no – ‘lying (up)on, near’, a middle participle stem of the verbal root * ḱei̯- ‘to lie, to be lying’ (Ancient Greek keî-mai ‘lie’, Vedic Sanskrit śáy-e ‘lie’) prefixed with the particle * ō- ‘(upo)on, near’ (Vedic preverb ā́- ‘near, near to, towards’), whose Vedic Sanskrit reflex ā-śáyāna- ‘lying (up)on, near’ is indeed attested several times with the serpent Vr̥tra ( vr̥trá- ) as referent and a term for body of water as location, either in the locative case (as sirā́su ‘in/on the streams’) or in the accusative case (as síndhum ‘towards the river’ and apá ‘towards the waters’):

índro mahā́ṁ síndhum āśáyānam / māyāvínaṁ vr̥trám asphuran níḥ

áhim ohānám apá āśáyānam / prá māyā́bhir māyínaṁ sakṣad índraḥ

smerdaléon dè dédorken elissómenos perì khei ē̂

śeṣo ‘si nāgottama dharmadevo mahīm imāṃ dhārayase yad ekaḥ / anantabhogaḥ parigṛhya sarvāṃ yathāham evaṃ balabhid yathā vā

catuḥsamudraparyantāṃ merumandarabhūṣaṇām / śeṣo bhūtvāham evaitāṃ dhārayāmi vasuṃdharām

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idea,proposal,subject

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proposition, fact, certainty, proof

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argument,assertion,hypothesis,postulate,proposition,supposition

Advancement and Improvement, Analytical and Interpretive, Nuance and Precision, Resilience and Resolve, Endeavor and Pursuit, Education and Mastery

Dictionary definition of thesis

A statement or theory that is put forward as a premise to be maintained or proved. "The thesis was published in an academic journal and received widespread recognition."

Detailed meaning of thesis

The thesis is typically a central idea or argument that is developed and presented in a written work, such as a dissertation or research paper. In higher education, a thesis is often a requirement for a graduate degree, such as a Master's or a PhD. The thesis is usually written under the supervision of a thesis advisor or mentor, and it presents original research or an original interpretation of existing research on a specific topic. The main purpose of a thesis is to contribute new knowledge and understanding to the field of study. It must be based on a rigorous research, the results must be presented in a logical and coherent manner and it must be written in a scholarly manner. Additionally, the thesis should demonstrate the student's ability to conduct independent research, to critically evaluate the existing literature, and to communicate their ideas effectively.

Example sentences containing thesis

1. Her thesis on renewable energy proposed innovative solutions for sustainability. 2. The professor praised the clarity of his student's thesis on social inequality. 3. The thesis of his argument was that technology enhances human communication. 4. The thesis of the book challenged conventional wisdom on economic policy. 5. Grad students often spend years researching and writing their theses. 6. The thesis behind the research project aimed to address pressing health issues.

History and etymology of thesis

The noun 'thesis' has its etymological roots in ancient Greek. It is derived from the Greek word 'θέσις' (thésis), which means 'a setting down' or 'a position.' In the context of ancient Greece, 'thesis' was used to refer to a proposition or statement that was put forward as the basis of an argument or discussion. It represented a foundational idea or premise that was to be maintained or proved through reasoning and evidence. As the term entered the English language, it retained this fundamental sense and is now commonly used to describe a statement or theory that serves as the central point of an argument or research project. It embodies the concept of a position or assertion that is presented for examination and verification. Therefore, the etymology of 'thesis' underscores its use as a noun to denote a statement or theory set forth as a premise to be upheld or substantiated.

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Further usage examples of thesis

1. She defended her thesis before a panel of expert examiners. 2. The conference featured presentations on a wide range of academic theses. 3. His groundbreaking thesis reshaped the field of quantum physics. 4. The thesis statement should encapsulate the main argument of your essay. 5. The thesis explored the intersection of art, culture, and identity in society. 6. The professor praised the student's thesis for its originality and depth. 7. His thesis explored the intersection of psychology and literature. 8. The defense of her thesis was a nerve-wracking but rewarding experience. 9. The thesis statement succinctly summarized the main argument of the paper. 10. The committee members engaged in a lively debate about the merits of the thesis. 11. The thesis proposed a new framework for understanding economic inequality. 12. After hours of editing, her thesis was finally ready for submission. 13. The library had an extensive collection of theses from various academic fields. 14. He was awarded a scholarship for his outstanding thesis on urban planning. 15. The thesis challenged existing theories and presented a fresh perspective. 16. The thesis project required extensive fieldwork and data analysis. 17. Her thesis was published in a reputable journal, gaining widespread recognition. 18. The thesis defense was attended by faculty members, peers, and family. 19. The thesis examined the historical context of the Renaissance art movement. 20. The graduate student presented her thesis findings at an international conference. 21. The thesis highlighted the need for further research in the field of genetics. 22. The thesis concluded with a call to action for policy changes in healthcare. 23. The advisor provided valuable guidance throughout the thesis writing process. 24. The thesis was a culmination of years of research and academic dedication.

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• Meaning of θέσις

θέσις ( Ancient Greek)

Origin & history.

• a setting , placement , arrangement
• adoption (of a child)
• adoption (in the more general sense of accepting as one's own)
• ( philosophy ) position , conclusion , thesis
• ( dancing ) putting down the foot
• ( metre ) the last half of the foot
• ( rhetoric ) affirmation
• ( grammar ) stop

▾  Derived words & phrases

• ἀντεπίθεσις
• ἀντιμετάθεσις
• ἀντιπαράθεσις
• ἐπιπρόσθεσις
• ἐπισύνθεσις
• ἡμισύνθεσις
• προδιάθεσις
• συγκατάθεσις
• συναντίθεσις
• συνεπίθεσις

▾  Descendants

• Latin: thesis

▾  Dictionary entries

Entries where "θέσις" occurs:

thesis : thesis (English) Origin & history From Latin thesis, from Ancient Greek θέσις ("a proposition, a statement, a thing laid down, thesis in rhetoric, thesis in prosody") Pronunciation IPA: /ˈθiːsɪs/ Pronunciation example: Audio (US) Rhymes:…

deed : …action"), Swedish and Danish dåd ("act, action"). The Proto-Indo-European root is also the source of Ancient Greek θέσις ("setting, arrangement"). Related to do. Pronunciation IPA: /diːd/ Pronunciation example: Audio (US) Rhymes:…

tes : …Origin & history I Noun tes Indefinite genitive singular of te Origin & history II From Latin thesis and Ancient Greek θέσις ("a proposition, a statement"), used in Swedish since 1664. Noun tes (common gender) a thesis, a statement…

Tat : …Low German Daat‎, Dutch daad‎, English deed‎, Danish dåd‎, Gothic 𐌳𐌴𐌸𐍃‎, and Ancient Greek θέσις ‎ ("arrangement"). Pronunciation IPA: /taːt/ Rhymes: -aːt Homophones: tat Noun Tat (fem.) (genitive Tat…

antithesis : antithesis (English) Origin & history From Ancient Greek ἀντί ("against") + θέσις ("position"). Surface analysis anti- + thesis. Pronunciation (Amer. Eng.) IPA: /ænˈtɪ.θə.sɪs/ Pronunciation example: Audio (US) Examples:…

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θέσκελος (Ancient Greek)

θές (Ancient Greek)

θέτης (Ancient Greek)

θέτο (Ancient Greek)

θέτω (Greek)

θέω (Ancient Greek)

θέων (Ancient Greek)

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[ thee -sis ]

He vigorously defended his thesis on the causes of war.

Synonyms: proposal , contention , theory

• a subject for a composition or essay.
• a dissertation on a particular subject in which one has done original research, as one presented by a candidate for a diploma or degree.
• Music. the downward stroke in conducting; downbeat. Compare arsis ( def 1 ) .
• a part of a metrical foot that does not bear the ictus or stress.
• (less commonly) the part of a metrical foot that bears the ictus. Compare arsis ( def 2 ) .
• Philosophy. Hegelian dialectic

/ ˈθiːsɪs /

• a dissertation resulting from original research, esp when submitted by a candidate for a degree or diploma
• a doctrine maintained or promoted in argument
• a subject for a discussion or essay
• an unproved statement, esp one put forward as a premise in an argument
• music the downbeat of a bar, as indicated in conducting
• (in classical prosody) the syllable or part of a metrical foot not receiving the ictus Compare arsis
• philosophy the first stage in the Hegelian dialectic, that is challenged by the antithesis
• The central idea in a piece of writing, sometimes contained in a topic sentence .

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Word history and origins.

Origin of thesis 1

Example Sentences

“The Saudis have been proving the thesis of the film — they do in fact have an army,” said Thor Halvorssen, founder and chief executive of the nonprofit Human Rights Foundation, which funded the movie.

It’s a hypothesis that Bush pursued in her master’s thesis, and last year she began attending virtual Goth parties in a final round of field work before defending her doctoral thesis later this year.

While this partnership was planned prior to the coronavirus outbreak, co-founder Jordana Kier said the pandemic instantly proved out the expansion thesis.

They’ve had to defend that thesis for a very, very long time in front of a variety of different customers and different people.

Over the past decade, In-Q-Tel has been one of the most active investors in the commercial space sector, with a broad investment thesis that touches many aspects of the sector.

In “Back Home,” Gil also revisits the nostalgia for the South explored in his Johns Hopkins thesis, “Circle of Stone.”

At least father and son were in alignment on this central thesis: acting “gay”—bad; being thought of as gay—bad.

Her doctoral thesis, says Ramin Takloo at the University of Illinois, was simply outstanding.

Marshall McLuhan long ago argued the now accepted thesis that different mediums have different influences on thinking.

He wrote his Master's thesis on the underrepresentation of young people in Congress.

And indeed for most young men a college thesis is but an exercise for sharpening the wits, rarely dangerous in its later effects.

It will be for the reader to determine whether the main thesis of the book has gained or lost by the new evidence.

But the word thesis, when applied to Systems, does not mean the 'position' of single notes, but of groups of notes.

This conclusion, it need hardly be said, is in entire agreement with the main thesis of the preceding pages.

Sundry outlying Indians, with ammunition to waste, took belly and knee rests and strengthened the thesis to the contrary.

Related Words

• proposition
• supposition

What Is The Plural Of Thesis?

Plural word for  thesis.

The plural form of thesis is theses , pronounced [ thee -seez ]. The plurals of several other singular words that end in -is are also formed in this way, including hypothesis / hypotheses , crisis / crises , and axis / axes . A similar change is made when pluralizing appendix as appendices . 

Irregular plurals that are formed like theses derive directly from their original pluralization in Latin and Greek.

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thesis noun

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What does the noun thesis mean?

There are eight meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun thesis . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

thesis has developed meanings and uses in subjects including

Entry status

OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.

How common is the noun thesis ?

How is the noun thesis pronounced, british english, u.s. english, where does the noun thesis come from.

Earliest known use

Middle English

The earliest known use of the noun thesis is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).

OED's earliest evidence for thesis is from before 1398, in a translation by John Trevisa, translator.

thesis is a borrowing from Greek.

Etymons: Greek θέσις .

Nearby entries

• thesaurus, n. 1823–
• thesaury, n. a1639–1708
• these, n. a1600–48
• these, pron. & adj. Old English–
• Thesean, adj. 1815–
• Theseid, n. 1725–
• Theseium, n. 1819–
• these-like, adj. 1644–
• thesial, adj. 1654
• thesicle, n. 1863–
• thesis, n. a1398–
• thesis-novel, n. 1934–
• thesis-play, n. 1902–
• thesmophilist, n. 1644–
• Thesmophorian, adj. 1891–
• Thesmophoric, adj. 1788–
• thesmothete, n. 1603–
• thesocyte, n. 1887–
• thesp, n. 1962–
• Thespian, adj. & n. 1675–
• Thespianism, n. 1914–

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Meaning & use

Pronunciation, compounds & derived words, entry history for thesis, n..

thesis, n. was first published in 1912; not yet revised.

thesis, n. was last modified in March 2024.

Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:

• corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
• new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into thesis, n. in March 2024.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

OED First Edition (1912)

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• View thesis in OED Second Edition

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The Ancient Greek Local Suffixes -δε, -θεν, -θε(ν), -θι, -σε and -δις: Function and Origin

This thesis seeks to investigate the synchronic function and origin of the six local suffixes of Ancient Greek mentioned in the title. Each chapter is dedicated to one of these suffixes and is subdivided into the following subsections: formation, meaning, metrics, later development, Mycenaean Greek (if applicable) and origin. The focus is on the Archaic/epic Greek situation (comprising Homer, Hesiod and the Hymns), but Mycenaean and later Greek are also featured in the discussion.

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Douglas Estes

Vassilis Ghekas

Greek is very important not only because it is recognized as the richest language on Earth, but also because Latin and subsequently all, more or less, European languages are its derivatives. It is also important because of its similarities (mostly hidden) with other ancient languages of the East, not only the obvious case of the Sanskrit but also the Chinese , the Farsi, the Aramaic and its derivatives Hebrew and Arabic and of the connectivity provided between the East and the West. Our working hypothesis is that the small, short verbs of the type Xω or XYω, where X a letter of the Greek alphabet and Y also a letter of the Greek alphabet, mainly a vowel and –ω the usual ending of a verb in Greek, provide the basis for the etymology of the majority of Greek words but even of many words of other languages. This study presents the main ideas and it is by no means complete. The aim is at giving another, an alternative angle of viewing the etymology and to encourage and inspire people working in this field to test the hypothesis and to hopefully continue and complete the search outlined in the present paper.

GEORGIOS PAPANASTASSIOU / ΓΕΩΡΓΙΟΣ ΠΑΠΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΙΟΥ

This paper examines the meanings of the preposition σύν in Ancient Greek compounds. This preposition typically appears in two different forms, σύν and ξύν, the latter being the older one, already attested in the Mycenaean texts.

Journal of Greek Linguistics

Carla Cecilia Bruno

Klaas Bentein

Angela Ralli

Nelson S Hsieh

Greek neuter nouns ending in –τηριον were very common in classical Greek, but became more rare and less productive during Hellenistic Greek times. This paper will examine the –τηριον suffix according to its (1) origin and development, (2) formation and morphology, (3) semantic categories, then (4) describe equivalent suffixes to –τηριον in the English language, and finally, (5) examine the specific case of ἱλαστήριον in Romans 3:25.

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hypothesis (n.)

1590s, "a particular statement;" 1650s, "a proposition, assumed and taken for granted, used as a premise," from French hypothese and directly from Late Latin hypothesis , from Greek hypothesis "base, groundwork, foundation," hence in extended use "basis of an argument, supposition," literally "a placing under," from hypo- "under" (see hypo- ) + thesis "a placing, proposition" (from reduplicated form of PIE root *dhe- "to set, put"). A term in logic; narrower scientific sense is from 1640s.

Entries linking to hypothesis

1530s, "action, a thing performed, anything done, a deed," good or evil but in 16c.-17c. commonly "evil deed, crime;" from Latin factum "an event, occurrence, deed, achievement," in Medieval Latin also "state, condition, circumstance" (source also of Old French fait , Spanish hecho , Italian fatto ), etymologically "a thing done," noun use of neuter of factus , past participle of facere "to do" (from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put").

An earlier adaptation of the Old French word that also became feat . The older senses are mostly obsolete but somewhat preserved in such phrases as after the fact , originally legal, "after the crime." Also compare matter-of-fact .

The modern, empirical, sense of "thing known to be true, a real state of things, what has really occurred or is actually the case," as distinguished from statement or belief , is from 1630s, from the notion of "something that has actually occurred." The particular concept of the scientific, empirical fact ("a truth known by observation or authentic testimony") emerged in English 1660s, via Hooke, Boyle, etc., in The Royal Society, as part of the creation of the modern vocabulary of knowledge (along with theory , hypothesis , etc.); in early 18c. it was associated with the philosophical writings of Hume. Middle English thus lacked the noun and the idea of it; the closest expression being perhaps thing proved (c.1500).

Hence facts "real state of things;" in fact "in reality" (1707). By 1729, fact was being used of "something presented as a fact but which might be or is false."

By fact is also often meant a true statement, a truth, or truth in general ; but this seems to be a mere inexactness of language .... Fact , as being special, is sometimes opposed to truth , as being universal ; and in such cases there is an implication that facts are minute matters ascertained by research, and often inferior in their importance for the formation of general opinions, or for the general description of phenomena, to other matters which are of familiar experience. [Century Dictionary]

Facts of life is by 1854 as "the stark realities of existence;" by 1913 it had also acquired a more specific sense of "knowledge of human sexual functions." The alliterative pairing of facts and figures for "precise information" is by 1727.

Facts and Figures are the most stubborn Evidences; they neither yield to the most persuasive Eloquence, nor bend to the most imperious Authority. [Abel Boyer, "The Political State of Great Britain," 1727]

plural of hypothesis .

hypothesize

hypothetical

• supposition
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Comparison of Soil Carbon Dynamics Between Restored Prairie and Agricultural Soils in the U.S. Midwest

Globally, soils hold more carbon than both the atmosphere and aboveground terrestrial biosphere combined. Changes in land use and land cover have the potential to alter soil carbon cycling throughout the soil profile, from the surface to meters deep, yet most studies focus only on the near surface impact ( 3 and C 4 photosynthetic pathway plant community composition. Comparative analysis of edaphic properties and soil carbon suggests that deep loess deposits in Nebraska permit enhanced water infiltration and SOC deposition to depths of ~100 cm in 60 years of prairie restoration. In Illinois, poorly drained, clay/lime rich soils on glacial till and a younger restored prairie age (15 years) restricted the influence of prairie restoration to the upper 30 cm. Comparing the δ 13 C values of SOC and SIC in each system demonstrated that SIC at each site is likely of lithogenic origin. This work indicates that the magnitude of influence of restoration management is dependent on edaphic properties inherited from geological and geomorphological controls. Future work should quantify root structures and redox properties to better understand the influence of rooting depth on soil carbon concentrations. Fast-cycling C dynamics can be assessed using continuous, in-situ CO 2 and O 2 soil gas concentration changes. The secondary objective of my thesis was to determine if manual, low temporal resolution gas sampling and analysis are a low cost and effective means of measuring soil O 2 and CO 2 , by comparing it with data from in-situ continuous (hourly) sensors. Manual analysis of soil CO 2 and O 2 from field replicates of buried gas collection cups resulted in measurement differences from the continuous sensors. Measuring CO2 concentration with manual methods often resulted in higher concentrations than hourly, continuous measurements across all sites. Additionally, O 2 concentrations measured by manual methods were higher than hourly values in the restored prairie and less in agricultural sites. A variety of spatial variability, pressure perturbations, calibration offsets, and system leakage influences on both analysis methods could cause the discrepancy.

NSF Grant 1331906

Degree type.

• Master of Science
• Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences

Campus location

• West Lafayette

Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair

Additional committee member 2, additional committee member 3, additional committee member 4, additional committee member 5, usage metrics.

• Environmental biogeochemistry
• Soil chemistry and soil carbon sequestration (excl. carbon sequestration science)