motif
nounA recurrent thematic element in an artistic or literary work.
nounA dominant theme or central idea.
nounA short rhythmic or melodic passage that is repeated or evoked in various parts of a composition.
nounA repeated figure or design in architecture or decoration. synonym: figure.
nounA recurrent pattern either of molecular sequence, usually of nucleotides or amino acids in proteins, or of molecular structure that usually corresponds to specific biological activity.
nounA Middle English form of
[F.] A datum, theme, or ground for intellectual action: used as French.
noun[F.] In music:
nounA figure.
