leitmotif
[lahyt-moh-teef]
noun
a motif or theme associated throughout a music drama with a particular person, situation, or idea.
Origin of leitmotif
1875–80; < German: leading motive
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Related Words for leitmotif
thought, motif, point, text, question, argument, topic, matter, stuff, problem, line, subject, case, affair, head, thesis, business, keynote, motive, propositionExamples from the Web for leitmotif
Contemporary Examples of leitmotif
Historical Examples of leitmotif
He will come back, murmured Chavvy, in concordance with her leitmotif.
Twos and ThreesG. B. Stern
It was what I had always called "Rosemary's leitmotif," expressed in perfume.
The BrightenerC. N. Williamson
"More work for the undertaker" should be the leitmotif of the evening's fun.
Perfect BehaviorDonald Ogden Stewart
Indeed, they recur again and again, like a Leitmotif in music, in everything he wrote.
The Social Significance of the Modern DramaEmma Goldman
In her direct and genuine nature there is a 'Leitmotif' of pure sweet melody that will enrich the life of its discoverer.
Bee and ButterflyLucy Foster Madison
leitmotif
leitmotiv
noun
Word Origin for leitmotif
C19: from German leitmotiv leading motif
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
leitmotif
[(leyet-moh-teef)]
Note
Leitmotifs are particularly associated with the operas of Richard Wagner.
Note
Recurring themes or subjects in other forms of art or literature are sometimes also called leitmotifs.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.