English
antithesis
Antithesis comes from Ancient Greek ἀντίθεσις, from ᾰ̓ντῐτῐ́θημῐ ‘to set against’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁-‘to do’root as named
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEᾰ̓ντῐτῐ́θημῐ‘to set against’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἀντίθεσιςantíthesis
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEantithesis
- Englishearliest quotation 1835same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁-‘to do’root as named
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEᾰ̓ντῐτῐ́θημῐ‘to set against’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἀντίθεσιςantíthesis
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEantithesis
- Englishearliest quotation 1835same form
Earliest quotation: 1835, Larret Langley, [Rhetorical Figures.] Antithesis.: “Antithesis, opposing things to things, Oft from the contrast…”
Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- ‘forehead’
Proto-Indo-European *h₂énts ‘forehead’
Proto-Indo-European *h₂énti ‘opposite’
Ancient Greek ᾰ̓ντῐ́ ‘over against, opposite’
English anti-
Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’
…
Ancient Greek τῐ́θημῐ ‘to place, put, set’
Ancient Greek θέσῐς ‘arrangement, placement, setting’
Latin thesis ‘proposition, thesis’
Middle English thesis ‘lowering of the voice’
English thesis
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’
do, fact, deal, hot, fair, defense, fashion, feature, mid, fan, benefit, defence, custom, theme, treasury, sufficient, treasure, ethnic, feast, ethical, doom, deed, defendant, theology, tick, dis, aesthetic, synthetic, auditorium, demi, ethic, deem, spade, auditor, feral, familial, medial, forfeit, atheist, ethos, 130 more
Today it means
noun A proposition that is the diametric opposite of some other proposition.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- / antithesis