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leitmotif - 5 dictionary results

leit⋅mo⋅tif

  [lahyt-moh-teef]
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–noun
a motif or theme associated throughout a music drama with a particular person, situation, or idea.
Origin:
1875–80; < G: leading motive
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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leit·mo·tif also leit·mo·tiv   (līt'mō-tēf')   
n.  
  1. A melodic passage or phrase, especially in Wagnerian opera, associated with a specific character, situation, or element.
  2. A dominant and recurring theme, as in a novel.

[German Leitmotiv : leiten, to lead (from Middle High German, from Old High German leitan; see leit- in Indo-European roots) + Motiv, motif (from French motif; see motif).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Leitmotif

Leit"mo*tif"\ (l[imac]t"m[-o]*t[-e]f"), n. [G.] (Mus.) See Leading motive, under Leading, a.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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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 American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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leitmotif 
1876, "a musical figure to which some definite meaning is attached," from Ger. Leitmotiv, lit. "lead motive," from leiten "to lead" + Motiv "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, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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