“Dissertation (noun): A formal and extensive treatment of a subject, such as an academic thesis; treatise; earnest presentation of one’s opinion; discourse; explanation. Adjective: dissertational, dissertative; noun: dissertator; verb: dissert.
‘As the local landlady Signora Maura shows the young couple about the house they have just rented from her, she distracts their attention from the walls with a long dissertation on the gas meter.’ Gore Vidal, Matters of Fact and Fiction”
Excerpted from: Grambs, David. The Random House Dictionary for Writers and Readers. New York: Random House, 1990.
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