Hypertext Webster Gateway: "treatise"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Treatise \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.
Note: 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.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
treatise
n : a formal exposition
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