thesis
Definitions
A proposition or statement put forward and defended by argument.
论点；命题（提出并加以论证的主张）
A long piece of academic writing, especially one submitted for a higher degree.
（学位）论文；学术专题论文
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedFrom Greek tithenai (to place) → thesis literally means "a placing, a thing put forward." You set a claim down on the table and argue for it — that's the proposition sense. The long document written to defend such a claim took the same name, giving us the academic thesis.
Root thes still carries 8 more wordsUsage Guide
Two senses live side by side. "Thesis" as a proposition (the main argument of an essay) is everyday academic English: thesis statement, central thesis. "Thesis" as a document usually means a master's or doctoral dissertation; in BrE "thesis" often = PhD work and "dissertation" = undergraduate/master's, while AmE tends to reverse the two. The plural is irregular: theses (/ˈθiːsiːz/), not "thesises."
Example Sentences
- 1.
Her thesis is that social media has reshaped how teenagers form friendships.
- 2.
He spent two years writing his doctoral thesis on Roman law.
- 3.
The essay's central thesis is stated clearly in the first paragraph.
- 4.
She has to defend her thesis before a panel next month.
Easily Confused
thesis vs dissertation — Both are long academic papers, but which is which depends on country: in the US, a thesis is usually the master's paper and a dissertation the doctoral one; in the UK it's typically reversed. thesis vs hypothesis — a thesis is a claim you're confident enough to defend; a hypothesis is a tentative guess you still need to test.