thesis greek or latin

thesis (n.)

late 14c., "unaccented syllable or note, a lowering of the voice in music," from Latin thesis "unaccented syllable in poetry," later (and more correctly) "stressed part of a metrical foot," from Greek thesis "a proposition," also "downbeat" (in music), originally "a setting down, a placing, an arranging; position, situation" (from reduplicated form of PIE root *dhe- "to set, put").

The sense in logic of "a formulation in advance of a proposition to be proved or debated" is attested by 1570s (contrasted to hypothesis ; in rhetoric it is opposed to antithesis ); that of "dissertation presented by a candidate for a university degree" is from 1650s. The uncertainty of the prosodic sense might have kept it from being established in English. Related: Thetic ; thetical ; thetically .

Entries linking to thesis

*dhē- , Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to set, put."

It forms all or part of: abdomen ; abscond ; affair ; affect (v.1) "make a mental impression on;" affect (v.2) "make a pretense of;" affection ; amplify ; anathema ; antithesis ; apothecary ; artifact ; artifice ; beatific ; benefice ; beneficence ; beneficial ; benefit ; bibliothec ; bodega ; boutique ; certify ; chafe ; chauffeur ; comfit ; condiment ; confection ; confetti ; counterfeit ; deed ; deem ; deface ; defeasance ; defeat ; defect ; deficient ; difficulty ; dignify ; discomfit ; do (v.); doom ; -dom ; duma ; edifice ; edify ; efface ; effect ; efficacious ; efficient ; epithet ; facade ; face ; facet ; facial ; -facient ; facile ; facilitate ; facsimile ; fact ; faction (n.1) "political party;" -faction ; factitious ; factitive ; factor ; factory ; factotum ; faculty ; fashion ; feasible ; feat ; feature ; feckless ; fetish ; -fic ; fordo ; forfeit ; -fy ; gratify ; hacienda ; hypothecate ; hypothesis ; incondite ; indeed ; infect ; justify ; malefactor ; malfeasance ; manufacture ; metathesis ; misfeasance ; modify ; mollify ; multifarious ; notify ; nullify ; office ; officinal ; omnifarious ; orifice ; parenthesis ; perfect ; petrify ; pluperfect ; pontifex ; prefect ; prima facie ; proficient ; profit ; prosthesis ; prothesis ; purdah ; putrefy ; qualify ; rarefy ; recondite ; rectify ; refectory ; sacrifice ; salmagundi ; samadhi ; satisfy ; sconce ; suffice ; sufficient ; surface ; surfeit ; synthesis ; tay ; ticking (n.); theco- ; thematic ; theme ; thesis ; verify .

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit dadhati "puts, places;" Avestan dadaiti "he puts;" Old Persian ada "he made;" Hittite dai- "to place;" Greek tithenai "to put, set, place;" Latin facere "to make, do; perform; bring about;" Lithuanian dėti "to put;" Polish dziać się "to be happening;" Russian delat' "to do;" Old High German tuon , German tun , Old English don "to do."

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Dictionary entries near thesis

• English (English)
• 简体中文 (Chinese)
• Deutsch (German)
• Español (Spanish)
• Français (French)
• Italiano (Italian)
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• 1.1 Etymology
• 1.2 Pronunciation
• 1.3.1 Inflection
• 1.3.2 Derived terms
• 1.3.3 Descendants
• 1.4 References

Ancient Greek [ edit ]

Etymology [ edit ].

From τίθημι ( títhēmi , “ I put, place ” ) +‎ -σις ( -sis ) , although it could either have been formed in Greek or go back earlier. In the latter case, would be from a Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁tis , from *dʰeh₁- (root of τίθημι ( títhēmi ) ). Cognates include Sanskrit अपिहिति ( ápihiti ) , Avestan 𐬀𐬭𐬋𐬌𐬛𐬍𐬙𐬌 ( arōidīti ) , Latin conditiō , and Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌳𐌴𐌸𐍃 ( gadēþs ) . More at deed .

Pronunciation [ edit ]

• IPA ( key ) : /tʰé.sis/ → /ˈθe.sis/ → /ˈθe.sis/
• ( 5 th BCE Attic ) IPA ( key ) : /tʰé.sis/
• ( 1 st CE Egyptian ) IPA ( key ) : /ˈtʰe.sis/
• ( 4 th CE Koine ) IPA ( key ) : /ˈθe.sis/
• ( 10 th CE Byzantine ) IPA ( key ) : /ˈθe.sis/
• ( 15 th CE Constantinopolitan ) IPA ( key ) : /ˈθe.sis/

Noun [ edit ]

θέσῐς • ( thésis )  f ( genitive θέσεως ) ; third declension

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

Inflection [ edit ]

Derived terms [ edit ].

• ἀνάθεσις ( anáthesis )
• ἀντένθεσις ( anténthesis )
• ἀντεπίθεσις ( antepíthesis )
• ἀντίθεσις ( antíthesis )
• ἀντιμετάθεσις ( antimetáthesis )
• ἀντιπαράθεσις ( antiparáthesis )
• ἀπόθεσις ( apóthesis )
• διάθεσις ( diáthesis )
• εἴσθεσις ( eísthesis )
• ἔκθεσις ( ékthesis )
• ἐναπόθεσις ( enapóthesis )
• ἔνθεσις ( énthesis )
• ἐπείσθεσις ( epeísthesis )
• ἐπέκθεσις ( epékthesis )
• ἐπένθεσις ( epénthesis )
• ἐπίθεσις ( epíthesis )
• ἐπιπρόσθεσις ( epiprósthesis )
• ἐπισύνθεσις ( episúnthesis )
• ἡμισύνθεσις ( hēmisúnthesis )
• κατάθεσις ( katáthesis )
• μετάθεσις ( metáthesis )
• παράθεσις ( paráthesis )
• παρέκθεσις ( parékthesis )
• παρένθεσις ( parénthesis )
• περίθεσις ( períthesis )
• προδιάθεσις ( prodiáthesis )
• προέκθεσις ( proékthesis )
• πρόθεσις ( próthesis )
• πρόσθεσις ( prósthesis )
• συγκατάθεσις ( sunkatáthesis )
• συναντίθεσις ( sunantíthesis )
• συνεπίθεσις ( sunepíthesis )
• σύνθεσις ( súnthesis )
• ὑπέκθεσις ( hupékthesis )
• ὑπέρθεσις ( hupérthesis )
• ὑπόθεσις ( hupóthesis )

Descendants [ edit ]

References [ edit ].

• “ θέσις ”, in Liddell & Scott ( 1940 ) A Greek–English Lexicon , Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ θέσις ”, in Liddell & Scott ( 1889 ) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon , New York: Harper & Brothers
• θέσις in Bailly, Anatole ( 1935 ) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français , Paris: Hachette
• Bauer, Walter et al. ( 2001 ) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature , Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
• “ θέσις ”, in Slater, William J. ( 1969 ) Lexicon to Pindar , Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• θέσις in Trapp, Erich, et al. ( 1994–2007 ) Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [ the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries ], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
• assumption idem, page 48.
• caution idem, page 119.
• deposit idem, page 212.
• earnest idem, page 259.
• hypothesis idem, page 412.
• place idem, page 616.
• position idem, page 628.
• site idem, page 779.
• situation idem, page 780.
• station idem, page 813.
• supposition idem, page 842.
• thesis idem, page 865.
• Beekes, Robert S. P. ( 2010 ) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10 ), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN

• Ancient Greek terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
• Ancient Greek terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *dʰeh₁-
• Ancient Greek terms suffixed with -σις
• Ancient Greek terms inherited from Proto-Indo-European
• Ancient Greek 2-syllable words
• Ancient Greek terms with IPA pronunciation
• Ancient Greek lemmas
• Ancient Greek nouns
• Ancient Greek paroxytone terms
• Ancient Greek feminine nouns
• Ancient Greek third-declension nouns
• Ancient Greek feminine nouns in the third declension
• grc:Philosophy
• grc:Rhetoric
• grc:Grammar
• Sanskrit terms with non-redundant manual transliterations
• Avestan terms with redundant transliterations
• Ancient Greek terms with redundant script codes

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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

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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:

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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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mamay (Tagalog) , yourt , malandi (Tagalog) , spill

Thesis etymology

English word thesis comes from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-, Proto-Indo-European - -tis, and later Proto-Indo-European *dʰédʰeh₁ti (To be doing. To be putting, placing.)

Etymology of thesis

Detailed word origin of thesis, words with the same origin as thesis, descendants of *dʰeh₁-, descendants of - -tis.

Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary

("Agamemnon", "Hom. Od. 9.1", "denarius")

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Greek and Latin Roots: Part I - Latin

Peter Smith, University of Victoria

Copyright Year: 2016

Publisher: BCcampus

Language: English

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Reviewed by Kirsten Day, Associate Professor of Classics, Augustana College on 11/14/18

Smith provides an impressively thorough overview of the many ways Latin has made an imprint on the English language. In doing so, he includes the grammatical principles of Latin that are essential to understanding how a knowledge of Latin roots,... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

Smith provides an impressively thorough overview of the many ways Latin has made an imprint on the English language. In doing so, he includes the grammatical principles of Latin that are essential to understanding how a knowledge of Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes can greatly enhance one’s fluency in English, but leaves out the aspects of the language that are extraneous in this context. This book will give native English speakers enhanced appreciation for the vocabulary they use everyday, while providing them the tools necessary to analyze and understand a vast number of words with which they are unfamiliar. Sections on the historical development of the English language are useful in understanding how language is transferred and transformed. Diligent students will undoubtedly complete this text with a much richer appreciation for their own language, as well as some basic understanding of the grammar and vocabulary of Latin. In light of the book’s title, however, I did expect to find more specific focus on specialized roots used in scientific terminology. In large part, this text seemed more appropriate to an English linguistics course than to one primarily catering to students in either the sciences or the social sciences. The book provides appendices at the back with answers to the exercises and vocabulary charts, but no index or glossary.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

I did not see any errors in subject matter, and very few typographical or proofreading errors (the few I did notice include “ADN” for “AND” in §26 (p. 70); a space in the first bullet point of the second box in §38 (p. 96) that results in an awkward comma at the beginning of a line; in §78 (p. 188), “armée” is rendered “arme!e”; and §87 (p. 212) note 3 refers to §74 number 4, while the bullet points in this section are not numbered). Overall, however, this is a well-edited and polished text.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The overall subject of this text is timeless and will be useful indefinitely, and for the most part, the author has done a good job in keeping his discussion of word development up to the moment. There are a few references, however, that will make this 2016 text seem dated to today’s students: in §31 (p. 77), “Present-Day English” is described as referring to the 19th and 20th centuries (despite the fact that many of today’s students were not even born until the 21st century); references to Ben Cartwright’s ranch (§42, p. 105) or to Perry Mason (§65, p. 155) will likely be lost entirely upon most students, as too might an excerpt from the Pirates of Penzance (§93, p. 223); while most students will not have heard of actor Lee Marvin (§49, p. 123), the reference might be considered more relevant (though it might need Googling).

Clarity rating: 4

Most explanations are clear and accessible to those who have no Greek or Latin (and indeed, few assumptions are made about students’ familiarity with English grammatical terms). For me, the explanation of the Latin pronunciation of vowels in §7 (pp. 17-18) might be cleaned up a bit (that E = “English” is not necessarily to be taken for granted when vowel sounds are being discussed). Some other of the abbreviations that are used in giving the shorthand of etymologies are not explained (like the E); these usually can be figured out, but a key would be nice (modF = modern French: see §23, p. 63).

Consistency rating: 5

Smith’s book impressed me with its consistency in treatment and comprehensiveness across sections.

Modularity rating: 5

This text seems very useful in terms of modularity. The reading sections are short, and would allow an instructor much flexibility in terms of how much to assign in each class. While concepts necessarily build on one another, links within each section lead students to appropriate places to fill in or review the concepts that have been covered previously. In addition, there are some sections that might be regarded as supplemental and thereby excluded, depending on the needs of the course and time constraints.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

While I understand the reasons behind dedicating the first volume to Latin (accessibility/familiarity, volume of material) and the second to Greek, this seems an odd choice to me in terms of chronology. Within the volume itself, the organizational logic and breakdowns of section are usually clear and logical. I did have a few quibbles within chapters: for example, on the first set of exercises, it would be useful to reiterate the numbering scheme rather than referring back to a chart much earlier in the text (§17, p. 45 #3). And while Smith’s exhaustive list of examples of words for analysis or consideration is useful, it might be a bit overwhelming in its presentation for many students (i.e. §83, p. 200).

Interface rating: 4

The online version is fairly easy to navigate, but the sections are fairly short: this results in a lot of clicking, but is useful in other ways. The downloadable PDF has a lot of blank pages. §19 (p. 53) has a spacing issue within a paragraph, which also appears in the online version. In both cases, there seem to be some reference errors: for instance, we are told to “consult the Bestiary” in §41 (p. 94), but this should read §42.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The breadth and depth of Dr. Smith’s language expertise is impressive. I did not find any grammatical errors in this text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

There are potentially minor slights to Smith’s fellow Canadians in §18 (p. 51) n. 1, and a comment that seems to equate “ardent feminists” with man-haters who are unable to set aside their biases to study language as objectively as male linguists in §42 (p. 105) might best be omitted. And although minor, making light of terms associated with abortion as a political issue (p. 225) also might sit badly with some in today’s divisive political climate.

The text will provide students far more information about the history of English, its relationship to Latin (and other languages), and about the grammar of Latin than many other texts on this subject. In places, I would like to see citations for references (i.e., the references to Juvenal on p. 71 and to Plautus in n. 1 in §56 (p. 137). There are many interesting cultural tidbits (such as the relationship of the political term “fascist” to the Roman fasces (§56, p. 137). Occasionally, the text offers a tease, which in some cases can prompt to further study (the etymology of “vanilla” might make you blush: again, §56, p. 137), but in other cases seems just to assume too much (as with the above noted reference to Lee Marvin and the origin of the word “palimony”). Overall, I think this text is highly useful for a course on English linguistics, but less useful as a stand alone text for a course that focuses on equipping those in the sciences and social sciences with an arsenal of word roots pertinent to their field (though as a supplemental text, for this sort of course, I think it could be very useful indeed).

Table of Contents

• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: The Latin Noun (Declensions 1 & 2)
• Chapter 3: The Latin Noun (Declensions 3, 4, 5)
• Chapter 4: Simple Latin Adjectives
• Chapter 5: Turning Latin Nouns into Adjectives
• Chapter 6: Turning Latin Adjectives into Latin Nouns
• Chapter 7: Latin Diminutives
• Chapter 8: Latin Prefixes
• Chapter 9: The Latin Verb System
• Chapter 10: Turning Latin Verbs into Latin Nouns
• Chapter 11: Turning Latin Nouns into Latin Verbs
• Chapter 12: Latin Present Participles and Gerundives
• Chapter 13: Turning Latin Verbs into Latin Adjectives
• Chapter 14: Compound Words in Latin
• I. Key to Exercises (Latin)
• Key to Exercises (Latin)
• II. Summary of Vocabulary Tables (Latin)
• Appendix II
• Summary of Vocabulary Tables (Latin)

Ancillary Material

About the book.

Greek and Latin Roots: Part I - Latin is part one of a two part series. This series examines the systematic principles by which a large portion of English vocabulary has evolved from Latin and (to a lesser degree) from Greek. This book focuses on Latin roots. A link to the second part focusing on the Greek roots can be found below. Part I will try to impart some skill in the recognition and proper use of words derived from Latin. There is a stress on principles: although students will be continually looking at interesting individual words, their constant aim will be to discover predictable general patterns of historical development, so that they may be able to cope with new and unfamiliar words of any type that they have studied. They will be shown how to approach the problem by a procedure known as “word analysis,” which is roughly comparable to the dissection of an interesting specimen in the biology laboratory. The text assumes no previous knowledge of Latin, and does not involve the grammatical study of this language—except for a few basic features of noun and verb formation that will help students to understand the Latin legacy in English. Although there will be some attention paid to the historical interaction of Latin with English, this text is definitely not a systematic history of the English language. It focuses on only those elements within English that have been directly or indirectly affected by this classical language. In order to provide the broadest possible service to students, the text emphasizes standard English vocabulary in current use. The more exotic technical vocabulary of science and medicine can be extremely interesting, but is explored in only summary fashion. Nevertheless, this text should be of considerable value, say, to a would-be botanist or medical doctor, if only by providing the foundation for further specialized enquiry.

About the Contributors

Peter Smith (1933 – 2006) was founding Chair of the Classics Department (now named Greek and Roman Studies) and later served as Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, both at the University of Victoria.

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English > Greek (Woodhouse)

substantive

P. θέσις , ἡ.

Latin > English

thesis thesis N F :: proposition , thesis

Latin > English (Lewis & Short)

thĕsis : is, f., = θέσις ,> in rhetoric , I a proposition , thesis ( pure Lat. propositum ), Quint. 3, 5, 11; 3, 5, 14; 2, 4, 24; 7, 10, 5; 12, 2, 25; Sen. Contr. prooem.— II In prosody, the falling of the voice , the thesis (opp. arsis ), Mart. Cap. 9, §§ 974 and 985.

Latin > French (Gaffiot 2016)

thĕsis , is, f. ( θέσις ), acc. in, 1 sujet, proposition, thèse, thème : Quint. 2, 4, 24 ; 3, 15, 11, etc. 2 temps frappé [dans la mesure] : Capel. 9, 974 3 dépôt d’argent que l’on perd, si le vœu qu’on forme est exaucé : CIL 14, 2854.

Latin > German (Georges)

thesis, is, Akk. in, Abl. ī, f. ( θέσις ), I) als rhetor . t.t. = der angenommene Satz , die Annahme , Sen. rhet. u. Quint. – II) als metr. t.t., das Senken der Stimme , rein lat. positio od. depositio vocis (Ggstz. arsis ), Gramm. – III) = παρακαταβολή , das Sukkumbenzgeld bei Gelübden, Corp. inscr. Lat. 14, 2854.

Wikipedia EN

In music and prosody, arsis (/ˈɑːrsɪs/; plural arses, /ˈɑːrsiːz/) and thesis (/ˈθiːsɪs/; plural theses, /ˈθiːsiːz/) are respectively the stronger and weaker parts of a musical measure or poetic foot. However, because of contradictions in the original definitions, writers use these words in different ways. In music, arsis is an unaccented note (upbeat), while the thesis is the downbeat. However, in discussions of Latin and modern poetry the word arsis is generally used to mean the stressed syllable of the foot, that is, the ictus.

Since the words are used in contradictory ways, the authority on Greek metre Martin West recommends abandoning them and using substitutes such as ictus for the downbeat when discussing ancient poetry. However, the use of the word ictus itself is very controversial.

The ancient Greek writers who mention the terms arsis and thesis are mostly from rather a late period (2nd-4th century AD), but it is thought that they continued an earlier tradition. For example, it is believed that Aristides Quintilianus (3rd or 4th century AD) adopted much of his theory from Aristotle's pupil Aristoxenus (4th century BC), who wrote on the theory of rhythm.

Arsis ("raising") and thesis ("putting down or placing") originally seem to have meant the raising and lowering of the foot in marching or dancing. A Greek musicologist, Bacchius or Baccheios (c. 4th century AD), states: "What do we mean by arsis? When our foot is in the air, when we are about to take a step. And by thesis? When it is on the ground." Aristides Quintilianus similarly writes: "Arsis is the upwards motion of a part of the body, while thesis is the downwards motion of the same part." And in general Aristotle (4th century BC) wrote: "All walking (poreia) consists of arsis and thesis."

Because of the association between rhythm and stepping, the parts of a rhythmic sequence were referred to as "feet". Aristides Quintilianus (3rd or 4th century AD) writes: "A foot is part of an entire rhythm from which we recognise the whole. It has two parts: arsis and thesis."

Aristoxenus appears to be the first writer in whose surviving work the word arsis is used specifically in connection with rhythm. Instead of thesis, he uses the word basis ("step"). However, in other Greek writers from Plato onwards, the word basis referred to the whole foot (i.e. the sequence of arsis and thesis).

More frequently Aristoxenus refers to arsis and thesis respectively as the "up time" (ὁ ἄνω χρόνος, ho ánō khrónos) and the "down time" (ὁ κάτω χρόνος, ho kátō khrónos), or simply the "up" (τὸ ἄνω, tò ánō) and the "down" (τὸ κάτω, tò kátō). The division of feet into "up" and "down" seems to go back at least as far as the 5th-century Damon of Athens, teacher of Pericles.

Stefan Hagel writes: "Although the significance of the ancient conception [of upbeat and downbeat] and the applicability of the modern terms are disputed, there is no doubt that arsis and thesis refer to some type of accentuation actually felt by the ancients. Especially in instrumental music, this must have included a dynamic element, so that it makes good sense to transcribe the larger rhythmical units by means of modern bars."

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CLA 030 Word Roots Sec 1-2

CLA 030 Word Roots

In this course, we will learn Latin and Greek word roots to help us better understand, use, and appreciate the English language. Approximately 65% of English vocabulary comes from Greek and Latin; if we consider the specialized terminology of law, medicine, biology, and other sciences, this share goes as high as 90%. By learning the ancient elements that combine to form English words, students will dramatically expand their understanding of the English language and their ability to use it effectively in speaking and writing.

As we build these skills over the quarter, we will also consider English’s historical trajectory and discover why it is that Latin and Greek have come to play such a significant role within it. Throughout, we’ll keep our eyes on the ways in which the English language is a living and constantly changing organism and discuss how best to appreciate its many different forms.

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Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean Studies

As part of the GLAM major , all students will complete a senior thesis. The senior thesis is a year-long research project on a topic of the student’s choice. The thesis provides the opportunity for students to engage in deep and sustained work on a topic of particular interest to them, in close collaboration and consultation with a faculty adviser. 

Past GLAM theses have covered a wide range of topics that reflects the diversity and richness of the cultures of the ancient Mediterranean; we encourage students to consult past theses for inspiration and ideas. Past theses can be found in the Thesis Tower in the Reed Library and in the GLAM/Religion student lounge on the second floor of the ETC. Reed community members can browse the Reed Electronic Theses Archive .

Recent GLAM Theses

• George Crooks, “Narratives of Roman History in Salvian’s De Gubernatione Dei ”
• Celia Garb, “ Ancient DNA An Unfit Arbiter of the Indo-European Debate ”
• Rose Gatlin, “From Pen to Palace: Examining Roman Britain Through Literary Sources and Archaeological Discoveries at Fishbourne and Vindolanda”
• Alisa MacDonald, “A Comparison of Homeric and Virgilian Similes”
• Michael Quinn, “The Examination of Virtus , Slavery, and Civil War in the Third Servile War in Appian's Civil Wars ”
• David Rothfels, “Hoping to Smash DNA with Rocks and Pickaxes”
• Freya Schlaefer, “Gastric Heroics: Towards a Grammar of Eating in Archaic Greek Poetry”
• Amir Weksler, “Love’s Coming for your Head!”
• Elin Hansen, “The Image of Augustus in Tacitus' Annals ”
• Aemann Lin, “The Literary Form of the Dialogue and the Ethics of Philosophy in Plato's Gorgias ”
• Cayden Price, “A New Model of Heroism for Roman Epic”
• Elliot Rydell Galarraga, “Lucretius and the Elite Roman Outlook”
• Emma McNeel, “Conversing with Mute Ash: The Capacity of Classical Reception”
• Kyle Nash, “De Rerum Repatriatione, or On the Repatriation of Things”
• Elliott Rosenthal, “Agamemnon and Political Crisis in the Iliad ”
• Hayley Curtis, “The Cento Probae : Creative Appropriation in Late Antiquity”
• Liam Dulany, “Singing the Unspeakable: Metapoetics and Multivalence in Lucan’s Bellum Ciuile ”
• Duncan Feiges, “On the Ruin of Britain: Reassessing the End of Roman Britain 400–700 CE”
• Wenqian Liu, “Medical and Cosmetic Tools and Implements from Gabii”
• Alexander Poston, “Traces of Stoic Philosophy in Cicero’s De Legibus and De Re Publica ”
• Yeşim Yilmaz, “Penelope, Klytaimnestra, Helen”
• Lex Ladge, “Memory Objects: A Study of Attalid Memory and Object Creation under Philetairos and Attalos I”
• Marnie Leven, “Knowledge Is Power: An Examination of the Roman Empire's Rhetorical Imperialism of the Chinese Empire”
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• Kaylee Ma, “Imagining and Imaging the Past: Archaeological Reconstructions of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Oplontis”
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• Kirk Svensson, “Hesiod's Works and Days : A Discourse on Ethics”
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• Griffin Hancock, ”Ego Mulier: The Construction of Sacred Gender Non-Conformity in the Roman Empire”
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• William Wu, “Superbia and the Roman Disease in Sallust's Bellum Iugurthinum ”
• Genevieve Marie Hook, “Making Italy Great Again: the Aeneid as Mythological Justification for Roman Power and Land Occupation”
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• Johanna Burgess, "The Management of Artistic and Architectural Heritage as a Base of Power in Early Imperial Rome"
• Jaye Whitney Dale Debber, "Forces in Opposition: The Polis and the Dionysiac in Euripides' Bacchae "
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MA, Latin – Non-thesis

The M.A. in Latin is designed for students who plan to teach Latin at the secondary level. In lieu of a research thesis, students produce a final teaching project which can be used in the classroom upon graduation.

Degree Type: Masters

Degree Program Code: MA_LATN_NT

Degree Program Summary:

The Department of Classics at the University of Georgia offers graduate work in Latin (non-thesis), Greek, or classical languages leading to the Master of Arts degree. The graduate program, which requires nine graduate courses, a thesis, and reading knowledge of French, German, or Italian, is designed to give students a broad knowledge of the field of classics and deepen their understanding of the ancient world.

All students must take the Proseminar (CLAS 8000), an introduction to research tools and practices, taught collectively by the graduate faculty. Students must also take between six and nine hours of GREK 6200: History of Greek Literature and LATN 6400: History of Latin Literature. These classes are demanding surveys of prose and poetry that cover the tradition of Greek and Latin literature, emphasizing translation of substantial selections from a wide range of authors and the acquisition of reading strategies. Students interested in teaching in secondary schools have the chance to acquire both theoretical and practical training specific to their field by taking LATN 7770: Latin Teaching Apprenticeship. Each year, several students have the opportunity to teach their own sections of elementary Latin.

Degree requirements include 28 hours of graduate-level course work, including the Proseminar (offered every fall and summer semester). Of these 28 hours, 12 must be in either Greek or Latin courses, and the remainder may be in a variety of courses in Greek, Latin, classical civilization, ancient history, archaeology, art, philosophy, linguistics, or other related fields. All students must also demonstrate reading proficiency in German, French, or Italian. All candidates complete a thesis related to their major language and must pass both a written examination on the Reading List in their first year and an oral examination on their thesis.

Graduate students may participate in the UGA Studies Abroad Program in Rome, Italy and earn six semester hours of graduate credit. Other relevant programs may be approved for graduate credit on an ad-hoc basis. Masters work in Latin can be completed on a summers-only basis in our Classics Summer Institute. All degree programs in the department are designed to be completed in two years.

Locations Offered:

Athens (Main Campus)

College / School:

Franklin College of Arts & Sciences

346 Brooks Hall Athens, GA 30602

706-542-8776

Department:

Graduate Coordinator(s):

Peter O'Connell

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