Trea"tise (?), n. [OE. tretis, OF. treitis, traitis, well made. See Treat.]

1.

A written composition on a particular subject, in which its principles are discussed or explained; a tract.

Chaucer.

He published a treatise in which he maintained that a marriage between a member of the Church of England and a dissenter was a nullity. Macaulay.

⇒ A treatise implies more form and method than an essay, but may fall short of the fullness and completeness of a systematic exposition.

2.

Story; discourse.

[R.]

Shak.

 

© Webster 1913.