English
thesis
Thesis comes from Latin thesis ‘proposition, thesis’, from Ancient Greek θέσῐς ‘arrangement, placement, setting’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁-‘to do’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰé-dʰeh₁-tireconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*t(e/i)tʰēmireconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτῐ́θημῐtĭ́thēmĭ‘to place, put, set’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEθέσῐςthésĭs‘arrangement, placement, setting’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEthesis‘proposition, thesis’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘lowering of the voice’
- Englishearliest quotation 1766same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁-‘to do’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰé-dʰeh₁-tireconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*t(e/i)tʰēmireconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτῐ́θημῐtĭ́thēmĭ‘to place, put, set’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEθέσῐςthésĭs‘arrangement, placement, setting’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEthesis‘proposition, thesis’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘lowering of the voice’
- Englishearliest quotation 1766same form
Earliest quotation: 1766, Oliver Goldsmith, The Conclusion: “I told them of the grave, becoming, and ſublime…”
first attested 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) (as stated in the etymology)
The story
The English word is a doublet of deed. Sense 1.1 (‘proposition or statement supported by arguments’) is adopted from antithesis. 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).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’
do, fact, deal, hot, fair, defense, fan, benefit, fashion, feature, mid, defence, custom, sufficient, ethnic, theme, defendant, feast, ethical, doom, deed, synthetic, theology, auditorium, auditor, aesthetic, dis, demi, deem, spade, forfeit, feral, ethic, fanatic, familial, medial, medallion, prefect, certify, profanity, 123 more
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰé-dʰeh₁-ti
through Proto-Hellenic *t(e/i)tʰēmi
treasury, treasure, tick, thesaurus, 14 more
through Ancient Greek τῐ́θημῐ ‘to place, put, set’
Today it means
noun A proposition or statement supported by arguments.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- / thesis