THE ALF ALFA - THESIS also called lucerne, or purple medic (Medicago sativa) perennial, clover-like, leguminous plant

of the pea family (Fabaceae), known for its tolerance of drought, heat, and cold; for the remarkable productivity and the quality of its herbage; and for its value in soil improvement. It is widely grown primarily for hay, pasturage, and silage. The plant, which grows 30-90 cm (1-3 feet) tall, arises from a much-branched crown that is partially embedded in the surface layer of soil. As the plant develops, numerous stems bearing many trifoliolate leaves arise from the crown-buds. Racemes of small :flowers arise from the upper axillary buds of the stems. With approaching maturity, corkscrew coiled pods containing from two to eight or more seeds develop abundantly in regions with much sunshine, moderate heat, dry weather, and pollinating insects. The primary root of alfalfa attains great depths. When 20 or more years of age, this taproot may descend as much as 15 m (50 feet) or more where the subsoil is porous. This accounts for the unusual ability of the plant to tolerate drought. The roots of seedling plants are known to penetrate the soil for 90 em (3 feet) at two months and for 180 em (6 feet) with plants five months of age. Not infrequently, newly established fields of alfalfa survive severe summer drought and heat when other leguminous plants with shallower and more branching roots succumb. Alfalfa has a remarkable capacity for rapid and abundant regeneration of dense growths of new stems and leaves following cutting. This makes possible from 1 to as many as 13 crops of hay in one growing season. The frequency of harvest and the total seasonal yields are dependent largely on the length of the growing season, the adaptability of the soil, the abundance of sunshine, and especially the amount and distribution of rainfall or irrigation during the growing season. Green leafy alfalfa hay is very nutritious and palatable, containing about 16 percent proteins and 8 percent mineral constituents. In addition it is rich in vitamins A, E, D, and K. Like all crops, alfalfa is beset with hazards of climate, diseases, and insects. Among the more serious of these are winterkill, bacterial wilt disease, alfalfa weevil, lugus bugs, grasshoppers, spotted aphid, and leaf-hoppers. In humid areas and in irrigated areas, alfalfa stands of three or more years of age have often become badly thinned by infestations of the soil-borne bacterial wilt organism Phyto-monas insidiosum.

the-sis

(the/sfs) n., pi. theses (-sez). 1. A proposition that is maintained by

argument. 2. A dissertation advancing an original point of view as a result of research, especially as a requirement for an academic degree. 3. A proven formerly hypothetical proposition. 4. The first stage of the Hegelian dialectic process. 5.a. The long or accented part of a metrical foot, especially in quantitative verse. b. The unaccented or short part of a metrical foot, especially in accentual verse. 6. Music. The accented section of a measure. [Latin, from Greek, from tithenai, to put; see dhe-

below. Sense 5 and 6, Middle English, from Late Latin, lowering Greek, downbeat, from tithenai, to put.]

of the voice, from

dhe-.

Important

derivatives

are: dol, deed, doom, -dom, deem, fact, factor, fashion,

feat', feature, affair, affect', affection, amplify, benefit, defeat, defect, effect, efficient,

infect, justify, modify, notify, perfect, profit, qualify, sacrifice, face, surface, difficulty, thesis, theme. dhe-. To set, put. Contracted from "dhee-. 1. a-grade form *dho-. DO\ FORDO, from Old English don, to do, from Germanic "dnn. 2. Suffixed form "dhe-ti-, "thing laid down or done, law, deed." DEED, from Old English deed, doing, deed, from Germanic "dediz. 3. Suffixed o-grade form "dho-mo-, a. DOOM, from Old English dom, judgment "thing set or put down"); b. -DOM, from Old English -dom, abstract suffix indicating state, condition, or power; c. (see ka-) Old Norse -domr, condition; d. DUMA, from Russian Duma, Duma, from a Germanic source akin to Gothic doms, judgment; e. DEEM, from Old English deman, to judge, from Germanic denominative di5mjan. a, b, c, d, and e all from Germanic domaz. 4. Suffixed o-grade form *dh15-t. (see sak-) Latin sacerdns, priest, "performer of sacred rites." 5. Zero-grade form "dhe-. a. prefixed form "kom-dhe-. ABSCOND, INCONDITE,RECONDITE, SCONCE2, from Latin condere, to put together, establish, preserve (*kom, together; see korn); b. prefixed and suffixed form *kom-dh(a)-yo-. CONDIMENT,from Latin condire, to season, flavor; c. compound "kred-dhe-, (see kerd-) 6. Suffixed zero-grade form dhe-k-. a. -FACIENT,FACT, FACTION\ -FACTION,FACTITIOUS,FACTITIVE,FACTOR, FASHION,FEASIBLE, FEAT\ FEATURE, (FETISH), -FIC, (-FY), HACIENDA;AFFAIR, AFFECT!, (AFFECT2), (AFFECTION), (AMPLIFY), ARTIFACT,ARTIFICE, (BEATIFIC), BENEFACTION, (BENEFIC), (BENEFICE), (BENEFICENCE), (BENEFIT), CHAFE, COMFIT, CONFECT, (CONFETTI), COUNTERFEIT,(DEFEASANCE), DEFEAT, DEFECT, (DEFICIENT), (DISCOMFIT), (EDIFICE), (EDIFY), EFFECT, (EFFICACIOUS), (EFFICIENT), FACSIMILE,FACTOTIJM, FORFEIT, INFECT, (mSTIFY), MALEFACTOR,(MALFEASANCE), MANUFACTURE,MISFEASANCE,(MODIFY), (MOLLIFY), (NIDIFY), (NOTIFY), (NULLIFY), OFFICINAL,ORIFICE, PERFECT, (PETRIFY), (PLUPERFECT), PONTIFEX, PREFECT, (PROFICIENT), PROFIT, PUTREFY, (QUALIFY), RAREFY, (RECTIFY), REFECT, (REFECTORY), RUBEFACIENT,SACRIFICE,SATISFY, SPINIFEX, SUFFICE, (SUFFICIENT), SURFEIT, TUBIFEX, TUMEFACIENT,(VIVIFY), from Latinfacere *fak-yo-), to do, make, and Latin combining form -fex *-fak-s), "maker"; b. FAyADE, FACE, (FACET), (FACIAL), FACIES; (DEFACE), EFFACE, (SURFACE), from Latin derivativefacies, shape, face "form imposed on something"); c. OFFICE, from Latin compound officium *opi-fici-om), service, duty, business, performance of work (*opi-, work; see op-); d. further suffixed form "dhs-k-li-, FACILE, (FACILITATE), FACULTY, DIFFICULTY,from Latinfacilis Old Latinfacul), feasible, easy. 7. Suffixed zerograde form "dhe-s- (probably identical with zero-grade ot dhes-), NEFARIOUS, from Latinfas, divine law, right. 8. MULTIFARIOUS,OMNIFARIOUS,from Latin -fariam, adverbial suffix, as in bifdriam, in two places, parts, double, from "dwi-dhte)-, "making two" (*dwi-, two; see dwo-). 9. Reduplicated form "dhi-dhe-. THESIS, THETIC; ANATHEMA,ANTITHESIS,DIATHESIS,EPENTHESIS,EPITHET, HYPOTHESIS,

METATHESIS, PARENTIlESIS, PROSTHESIS, PROTHESIS, SYNTHESIS,

from Greek tithenai, to put, with zero-grade noun thesis (*dhu-ti-), a placing, and verbal adjective thetos (*dhu-to-), placed. 1(). Suffixed form "dhe-k-, THECA, TICK3; AMPHITHECIUM,

APOTHECARY, (AP01BECIUM), BIBLIOTHECA, (BODEGA), (BOUTIQUE), CLEISTOTHECIUM,

from Greek theke, receptacle. 11. Suffixed zero-grade form "dho-mn. (THEMATIC), THEME, from Greek thema, "thing placed," proposition. 12. Reduplicated form "dhe-dhe-, SANDHI, from Sanskrit dadhnti, he places. 13. Basic form *dhe-. PillmAH, from Old Persian da-, to place. 14. Suffixed form "dhe-to, set down, created. (see s(w)e-) Old Iranian compound "khvam-dnta-, created from oneself 15. Reduced form *dh-. (see au-) [Pokorny 2. dhe- 235.]
ENDOTHECIUM, PERITIIECIUM,