leitmotif
[ lahyt-moh-teef ]
/ ˈlaɪt moʊˌtif /
noun
a motif or theme associated throughout a music drama with a particular person, situation, or idea.
RELATED WORDS
thought, motif, point, text, question, argument, topic, matter, stuff, problem, line, subject, case, affair, head, thesis, business, keynote, motive, proposition
Nearby words
- leisure suit,
- leisured,
- leisurely,
- leisurewear,
- leith,
- leitrim,
- leix,
- leizhou,
- leizhou peninsula,
- lejeune
Origin of leitmotif
1875–80; < German: leading motive
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for leitmotif
leitmotif
leitmotiv
/ (ˈlaɪtməʊˌtiːf) /
noun
music a recurring short melodic phrase or theme used, esp in Wagnerian music dramas, to suggest a character, thing, etc
an often repeated word, phrase, image, or theme in a literary work
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
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
leitmotif
1876, "a musical figure to which some definite meaning is attached," from German Leitmotiv, literally "lead motive," from leiten "to lead" (see lead (v.1)) + Motiv (see motive). A term associated with Wagnerian musical drama, though the thing itself is at least as old as Mozart. "The leitmotif must be characteristic of the person or thing it is intended to represent." ["Elson's Music Dictionary"]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
leitmotif
[ (leyet-moh-teef) ]
A frequently recurring bit of melody, usually in opera, associated with a person, thing, or emotion; Leitmotiv is German for “leading theme.” The leitmotif may be heard in the instrumental or the vocal part.
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.