dissertation

[dis-er-tey-shuhn]

noun

1. a written essay, treatise, or thesis, especially one written by a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

2. any formal discourse in speech or writing.

dissertation

/ ˌdɪsəˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. a written thesis, often based on original research, usually required for a higher degree

2. a formal discourse

Other Word Forms

• dissertational adjective
• dissertationist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dissertation¹

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin dissertātiōn-, stem of dissertātiō, equivalent to dissert + -ation

Example Sentences

We had a dissertation written by a professor of sociology on how the best way to govern would be.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The 1930s collection, which included a copy of Turing's PhD dissertation, went under the hammer in Etwall in Derbyshire on Tuesday.

Read more on BBC

Mallon, a distinguished man of letters, moved to Manhattan at 32, holding a PhD from Harvard and a dissertation that became his acclaimed 1984 book, “A Book of One’s Own.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Bradley, who wrote her doctoral dissertation on the Real ID Act, suspects that many Americans will opt to travel with their passport or other forms of acceptable identification rather than obtain a Real ID.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In 1993 I was a graduate student struggling to write a dissertation on colonial California.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• essay 
• monograph 
• treatise