Thematic

How to spell thematic

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce thematic

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does thematic mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to or organised around a particular subject, idea, or recurring theme.

Thematic in a sentence

• The museum grouped its paintings into thematic rooms by century.

• The report follows a thematic structure rather than a chronological one.

Where does thematic come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word traces back to the Greek thema, which literally meant 'something set down or placed', from the verb tithenai, 'to put or place'. In Greek the related adjective thematikos described whatever belonged to or concerned a theme or topic. The noun thema travelled into Latin as thema and then into English as 'theme', meaning a subject of discourse, while 'thematic' arrived a little later, by the early 1700s, to describe anything organised around or expressive of a theme. The same Greek tithenai root quietly underlies a surprising family of English words, including 'thesis' and 'antithesis', all of which involve something being 'placed' or 'set down'. Knowing the link to 'theme' is the best memory aid, since both keep the th-e-m sequence intact.

How the word is built

• them- (root, from Greek thema: something set down, a proposition or topic)
• -atic (adjective-forming suffix)