motif

American  

[moh-teef] / moʊˈtif /

noun

1. a recurring subject, theme, idea, etc., especially in a literary, artistic, or musical work.

2. a distinctive and recurring form, shape, figure, etc., in a design, as in a painting or on wallpaper.

3. a dominant idea or feature.

   Pulmonary problems were a grim motif in his life.

4. Biochemistry. a distinct pattern of amino acids in a function-specific protein sequence.

   No polyproline motif has been observed in these yeast proteins.

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motif British  

/ məʊˈtiːf /

noun

1. a distinctive idea, esp a theme elaborated on in a piece of music, literature, etc

2. Also: motive.  a recurring form or shape in a design or pattern

3. a single added piece of decoration, such as a symbol or name on a jumper, sweatshirt, etc

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motif Cultural  

1. In literature, art, or music, a recurring set of words, shapes, colors, or notes. In the poem “The Raven,” by Edgar Allan Poe, for example, the word nevermore is a motif appearing at the end of each stanza. Likewise, the first four notes of the Fifth Symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven are a motif that is developed and reshaped throughout the work.

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Etymology

Origin of motif

First recorded in 1840–50; from French; motive

Example Sentences

The open-air shed in which Mother and Child lie is a common motif in Italian painting by this date.

From The Wall Street Journal

The uprising is a motif in many of his works.

From The Wall Street Journal

Bee motifs - stickers, balloons, even pavement art - are all over the suburb, in remembrance of Matilda, the terror attack's youngest victim.

From BBC

To open it up to the street, the architects chose the motif of “frames, apertures and doorways.”

From The Wall Street Journal

"The ability to divide space evenly, reflected in these floral motifs, likely had practical roots in daily life, such as sharing harvests or allocating communal fields," Garfinkel explains.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• concept
• logo
• pattern