Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A recurrent thematic element in an artistic or literary work.
- n. A dominant theme or central idea.
- n. Music A short rhythmic or melodic passage that is repeated or evoked in various parts of a composition.
- n. A repeated figure or design in architecture or decoration. See Synonyms at figure.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A Middle English form of motive.
- n. [F.] A datum, theme, or ground for intellectual action: used as French.
- n. [F.] In music:
- n. A figure.
- n. A subject or theme, particularly one that recurs often in a dramatic work as a leading subject.
Wiktionary
- n. A recurring or dominant element; a theme.
- n. A short melodic passage that is repeated in several parts of a work
- n. A decorative figure that is repeated in a design
- n. The physical object or objects repeated at each point of a lattice. Usually atoms or molecules.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. Motive.
- n. In literature and the fine arts, a salient feature or element of a composition or work; esp., the theme, or central or dominant feature a motive{3}. See also leitmotif.
- n. A decorative appliqué design or figure, as of lace or velvet, used in trimming; also, a repeated design.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a unifying idea that is a recurrent element in literary or artistic work
- n. a theme that is repeated or elaborated in a piece of music
- n. a design or figure that consists of recurring shapes or colors, as in architecture or decoration
Etymologies
- French, from Old French, motive; see motive.
Examples
“In Romanticism, the ruin motif is expressed and interpreted in various ways; here the literal ruin or monument, there the figurative ruin of the self, and elsewhere still the formalistic ruin of the Romantic fragment poem, with all of its unsettled meaning.”
The Ruins of Empire: Nationalism, Art, and Empire in Hemans's Modern Greece
“The nameless gunslinger motif is taken to a very grizzly place as Jonah Hex is shown as a remorseless bounty hunter with a notoriety that instills fear and anger among the folks he meets.”
“The “new woman” motif is announced in London's description of Grace's efficiency:”
“The Kipling of the Klondike”: Naturalism in London's Early Fiction
“The novel's central motif comes from the tale of Orpheus, the great musician of Greek mythology, who charmed his way into the underworld and begged the gods with music to bring his wife back to life.”
The Washington Post: Richard Harvell's novel about 18th-century opera, "The Bells"
“Also note: I doubt this was intentional in the Pledge but the One God to Two Goddesses motif is actually also found as the Second Capitoline Triad, though the choice of goddesses was different.”
The Volokh Conspiracy » Ninth Circuit Upholds “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance,
“If a certain typeface or a certain motif is considered inappropriate because it looks unprofessional, no professional artist/designer would use them.”
“A familiar motif is that they operate at the very fringes of perception.”
“A common motif is the double water-gourd design, also woven into belts, where it gives the impression of snake skins.”
“The butterfly motif is reminiscent of Itzpapalotl (the Obsidian Butterfly), a principal deity of the classical Aztecs, whom the Huichols claim as their ancestors.”
“While I believe Mr. Wingo's "choice" motif is a valuable one, I believe Mr. Barton makes some very important points:”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘motif’.
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4084 more...
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Loan words from French
gite, coq au vin, dernier cri, clique, hors d'œuvre, touché, naïve, coquette, bourgeois, contretemps, flâneur, film noir and 63 more...
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esotericisms
words that make me warm inside
kinemacolour, sardonic, entente, saturnine, ens, ensanguine, causa sui, entelechy, epicheirema, ex post facto, peccadillo, illation and 27 more...
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English with Tongue
French words and phrases used by English speakers.
objet d'art, nom de plume, petite, bon voyage, avant-garde, faux pas, faux, touché, répondez, s'il vo..., rouge, papier mâché, joie de vivre and 85 more...
marky cool I like that definition jwjarvis Nov 12, 2010
jwjarvis a pattern in a protein structure formed by the spatial arrangement of amino acids Nov 12, 2010