treatise
Americannoun
-
treatises
plural
noun
-
a formal work on a subject, esp one that deals systematically with its principles and conclusions
-
an obsolete word for narrative
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of treatise
1300–50; Middle English tretis < Anglo-French tretiz, akin to Old French traitier to treat
Explanation
A treatise is a formal written paper about a specific subject. It’s like an essay but longer. A treatise is usually about a serious subject, so you might read a treatise on democracy, but you probably won't read a treatise about chewing gum. The word treatise is related to the verb treat, in the sense of "deal with,” like the way a doctor treats a patient. Like a doctor, a treatise examines a subject from all angles. It has nothing to do with treats, unless you’re writing a treatise on desserts, which would be weird. More appropriate topics for a treatise include philosophy, religion, economics, and so forth. An example of a political treatise is The Prince by Machiavelli, which basically argues that “the ends justify the means.”
Vocabulary lists containing treatise
Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
This Week in Words: April 13–19, 2019
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
100 SAT Words Beginning with "T"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Researchers in Italy announced in June the first complete virtual unrolling of a scroll, which turned out to be a treatise on ethics.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
With yet another treatise on this topic having been published, Slate book critic Laura Miller declares that it’s time for the discourse to evolve.
From Slate ● Oct. 13, 2026
I mentioned this trick in my treatise on not wasting pickle juice, and the same logic applies here.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
Her final chapter, on how to thrive amid uncertainty, is sensible enough, but is more of a short treatise on the good life than an analysis of the appropriate role of prediction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
The whole of the Scientific Revolution is encapsulated in Galileo’s little treatise on floating bodies.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Researchers worked with Le Chat, a generative AI tool developed by the French start‑up Mistral, training it on Moliere's body of work, as well as dialogues and philosophical treatises.
From Barron's ● May 4, 2026
The older cases and treatises turned not simply on place of birth, but on protection, allegiance and the sovereign’s acceptance of the parents’ presence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
Some scientists want stricter enforcement of existing space treatises or more regulation of space debris.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2026
Rather than mentioning those supposed practical considerations, treatises from the early Christian centuries draw from biblical inferences, contemporary understanding of time and calendrical math to argue for its case.
From Salon ● Dec. 24, 2024
What the compressed-air and fresh-air engineers examined through direct observation, the theoreticians approached through fifty-page treatises in which one single equation might occupy the better part of a page.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
