A thesis is a main idea or claim that someone is trying to prove or explain, especially in an essay or research paper. It can also mean a long piece of writing that a student completes to earn an advanced degree.
From Latin *thesis*, from Greek *thesis* 'a placing, a proposition', from *tithenai* 'to place, to set'. A thesis is something you 'set down' as your central claim.
A good thesis is like the spine of your writing—every paragraph should connect back to it. The original sense of 'placing' fits: you’re placing one main idea on the table and saying, 'This is what I’m standing on.'
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