Dissertation
/ˌdɪs.əˈteɪ.ʃən/noun
A long, formal written treatment of a subject, especially one submitted for a degree.
Did you know?Dissertation comes from Latin *dissertare*, an intensive form of *disserere*—literally “to scatter apart” or “to examine thoroughly,” so the word once carried the energy of relentless verbal dissection.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ser-
“to link, connect, join together”
Latin
Latin
disserere
“to scatter apart; to discuss, examine”
Late Latin
Latin
dissertatio
“a discussion, discourse, examination”
Middle French
Old French
dissertation
“a discourse or treatise”
17th Century
English
dissertation
“a formal discourse or written treatise”
Modern English
English
dissertation
“a long formal academic paper, especially for a doctoral degree”