Tithemi
/ˈtɪθɛmi/noun
An Ancient Greek verb meaning “to put, place, or set.”
Did you know?From this verb came Greek forms meaning “to set” or “to establish,” and its descendants helped shape English words like thesis, theme, and theorem—ideas literally “placed” into the world.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dʰeh₁-
“to put, place, set”
Ancient Greek
Greek
τίθημι (títhēmi)
“I put, place, set, establish”
Classical Greek
Greek
θέσις (thésis)
“a placing, setting down”
Late Latin
Latin
thesis
“a proposition or setting down”
Modern English
English
thesis
“a proposition or statement put forward for discussion or proof”
Explore more surprising origins