the-; them-, themat-, thes-, thet-

(Latin: placing, setting; to place, to put)

metathesis (s), metatheses (pl) (nouns)
1. A reversal of the order of two sounds or letters in a word, either as a mispronunciation or as a historical development.
2. A "rhetorical transposition of words"; from Greek, then Late Latin metathesis, "change of position, transposition"; from the stem of metatithenai, "to transpose" from meta-, "to change" + tithenai, "to place, to set".
parenthesis (s), parentheses (pl) (nouns)
1. One of a pair of shallow, curved signs, ( ), used to enclose an additional inserted word or comment and to distinguish it from the sentence in which it is found.
2. Either, or both, of the upright curved lines, ( ), used to mark off explanatory or qualifying remarks in writing or printing or to enclose a sum, product, or other expression considered or treated as a collective entity in a mathematical operation.
3. A word or phrase that comments on, or qualifies part of the sentence, in which it is found and is isolated from it by parentheses or dashes.
4. A piece of speech or writing that wanders off from the main topic.
5. Something that acts as a pause or a break in something.
6."In parenthesis" may refer to an additional qualifying, explanatory, or otherwise separate comment.
7. Etymology: "words, clauses, etc. inserted into a sentence", from Middle French parenthèse, from Late Latin parenthesis, "addition of a letter to a syllable in a word"; from Greek parenthesis. Literally, "a putting in beside", from parentithenai, "put in beside"; from para-, "beside" + en-, "in" + tithenai, "to put, to place".
parenthesize, parenthesizes; parenthesized; parenthesizing (verbs)
To put in, to insert, to add, or to throw in an additional statement, often as an ad lib which is something thought of and said on the spur of the moment.
prosthesis (prahs THEE sis, proh THEE sis) (s) (noun), prostheses (pl)
1. A man-made device used to replace a missing body part; such as, an arm, a tooth, or an eye: A few examples of prostheses that are used to restore normal functions include false legs or arms that are provided after amputations or an artificial heart valve that is used to supplant the opening and closing of that organ because of an injury or a disease.
2. A device to augment the performance of a natural function: A hearing aid is another example of a prosthesis.

Prostheses are also used for cosmetic reasons; such as, a breast prosthesis that is fitted after a mastectomy, or the removal of a breast, and a glass eye which is inserted to replace a diseased eye which has had to be surgically removed.

3. In linguistics, the addition of a letter or a syllable to a word: One example of a language prostheses is when an "s" is added to words to make them plurals; such as, book > books, plant > plants, cartoon > cartoons, etc.
4. Etymology: from Latin and Greek prosthesis, "addition of a letter" or "syllable to a word"; from prostithenai, "add to"; from pros, "to" + tithenai, "to put, to place".

The reference to "artificial body part" is first recorded in 1706.

Pointing to a page about prostheses. Additional information about prostheses.


prothesis (s), protheses (pl) (nouns)
1. The addition of a sound or sounds at the beginning of a word to make the word easier to pronounce.
2. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the preparations for the offering of Communion.
synthesis (s) (noun), syntheses (pl)
1. The combination of ideas or elements into something new: "Bert produced a vocabulary list that was a synthesis of words and images."
2. The process of producing a chemical compound; usually by the union of simpler chemical compounds: "Plants have syntheses of light, carbon dioxide, and water that produce food."
3. Reasoning from the general to the particular; or from cause to effect.
4. A new unified whole resulting from the combination of different ideas, influences, or objects: "The lexicographer confirmed that his entries were syntheses of research and observations plus a desire to show the words in action."
5. The process of combining different ideas, influences, or objects into a new concepts.
6. The formation of compounds through one or more chemical reactions with simpler substances.
7. The production of music or speech using an electronic instrument.
8. In Hegelian philosophy, a new idea that resolves the conflict between the initial proposition thesis and its negative elements.
synthesist (s) (noun), synthesists (pl)
1. An intellectual who synthesizes or uses synthetic methods.
2. Someone who composes or combines parts or elements so as to form a whole.
synthetic (adjective), more synthetic, most synthetic
1. Referring to something that is made artificially by chemical synthesis; especially, so as to resemble a natural product: At the clothing store, Nadine bought a nice synthetic leather jacket to match her green dress.

Because Sally couldn't wear synthetic clothes, she looked for outfits made of wool, cotton, linen, or silk.

2. Pertaining to something which has been prepared, or made, artificially: Nylon, for example, is a synthetic fiber which is not made from a natural material; such as, cellulose.
3. A reference to an emotion or action which is not genuine; especially, when expressed but not sincerely felt: Henry made a synthetic statement of sympathy at the loss of his friend's baseball team, but he didn't really mean it.
4. Etymology: from Greek sunthetikos, "constructive, skilled in putting together", from Latin sunthetos, "combined".
Referring to something that is not real.
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thematic (adjective)
1. A reference the subject of a discourse, discussion, piece of writing, or artistic composition.
2. Characterized by a distinct, recurring, and unifying quality or idea: "Accuracy will be the thematic motto of our project."
3. Relating to a melody that is repeated, often with variations, throughout a piece of music.
4. Referring to a song or tune that is played at the beginning or end of, or during, a movie or television program and is identified with it.
5. A description of something with a single distinct character, issue, or subject that is discussed often or repeatedly: "The growing deficit was a dominant thematic issue during the election."
thematically (adverb)
With regard to thematic content or relating to a topic: "The poems are grouped thematically."
theme (s), themes (pl) (nouns)
1. The subject of a discourse, discussion, piece of writing, or artistic composition.
2. A distinct, recurring, and unifying quality or idea: "Efficiency will be the theme of this energy organization."
3. A melody that is repeated, often with variations, throughout a piece of music; such as, one of the themes of the concerto.
4. A song or tune that is played at the beginning, or end of, or during, a movie or television program and is identified with it: "We always loved to hear the theme from "The Magnificent Seven".
5. A short essay or written exercise for a student.
6. Etymology: from Old French tesme; from Latin thema, "a subject, a thesis"; from Greek thema, "a proposition, a subject, a deposit". Literally, "something set down", from the root of tithenai, "to put down, to place".
thesaural (adjectiver)
A reference to a thesaurus or a list of subject headings or descriptors usually with a cross-reference system for use in the organization of a collection of documents for reference and retrieval.
thesauros (s), thesauroi (pl) (nouns)
A treasury much like a naiskos (small Greek temple or shrine) and located in a temenos as storage of the valuables of foreign states. There is an elaborate series of thesauroi in Delphi leading up to the sacred way.

A temenos relates to Greek antiquity, the enclosure of a sanctuary, the holy ground belonging to the god and governed by special rules, or the sacred precinct at a cult center; containing the altar, temple, and other features.

There might be numerous buildings for the main cult and a series of thesauroi, stoas (classical Greek building with a long open colonnade), and dedications from worshipers. In Egyptian architecture, loosely applied to the area within the enclosure wall of a temple.

thesaurus (s); thesauri, thesauruses (pl) (nouns)
1. A book that lists words related to each other in meaning, usually giving synonyms and antonyms.
2. A dictionary of words relating to a particular subject.
3. A place in which valuable things are stored.
4. Etymology: from 1823, "treasury, storehouse"; from Latin thesaurus "treasury, treasure"; from Greek thesauros, "a treasure, treasury, storehouse, chest"; from root of tithenai "to put, to place".

The meaning "encyclopedia filled with information" is from 1840, but it existed earlier as thesaurarie (1592), used as a title by early dictionary compilers. The meaning, "collection of words arranged according to sense" is first attested 1852 in Roget's title. Thesaur is attested in Middle English with the meaning, "treasure" (about 15th century-16th century).

thesis (s), theses (pl) (nouns)
1. An unproved statement put forward as a premise in an argument; a proposition advanced as an argument.
2. A dissertation based on original research; especially, as work toward an academic degree.

Other words for long research papers include: "treatise, dissertation, monograph, disquisition, research, essay", or "investigation".

3. A treatise advancing a new point of view resulting from research; usually a requirement for an advanced academic degree.
4. An "unaccented syllable" or "note", from Latin thesis, "unaccented syllable in poetry"; later "a stressed part of a metrical foot", from Greek thesis, "a proposition"; also, "downbeat" (in music).

Originally, "a setting down" or "placing"; from root of tithenai, "to place, to put, to set".

Related word families intertwined with "to place, placing, to put; to add; to stay; to attach" word units: fix-; pon-; prosth-; stato-.