User:Iqu/Thecal Matter

Thecal Matter
A whimsical name for PhD thesis. Probably first used in that

context by Jorge Cham, the creator of PhD Comics. Now popular as the [[google

talk]] status text of many Graduate Students or Research Scholars (as they are

known in India).

The word has antecedents from 1993 onwards in universities such as the Stanford.

Definitions
The word "Thecal" by itself has various meanings in the medical and botanical context.

1. Etymology: from the Greek word "theke" meaning sheath

pertaining to a theca or sheath.

From Mosby's Medical Dictionary, 8th edition. © 2009, Elsevier

2. the·cal (thkl) adj. Of or relating to a sheath, especially a tendon sheath.

From The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2007, 2004 by Houghton Mifflin

Company.

3. n., pl. -cae (-sē', -kē'). A case, covering, or sheath, such as the pollen sac of an anther, the spore case of a moss,

or the outer covering of the pupa of certain insects.

[Latin thēca, case, receptacle, from Greek thēkē.]thecal the'cal (-kəl) adj.

4. theca (t̸hē′kə) noun pl. -·cae-sē BOT. a spore case, sac, or capsule ZOOL., ANAT. any sheath or sac enclosing an organ or a whole organism, as the covering of

an insect pupa Etymology: ModL < L < Gr thēkē, a case < IE *dhēkā < base *dhē-, to place, put > do, L

facere theca Related Forms

the′·cal adjective

From Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc.,

Cleveland, Ohio.

5. the·ca Pronunciation: \ˈthē-kə\ Function: noun Inflected Form(s): plural the·cae \ˈthē-ˌsē, -ˌkē\ Etymology: New Latin, from Greek thēkē case Date: circa 1666
 * an enveloping sheath or case of an animal or animal part

— the·cal \ˈthē-kəl\ adjective

From merriam-webster online dictionary