mo·tif
Audio Help [moh-teef] Pronunciation Key
Audio Help [moh-teef] Pronunciation Key –noun
| 1. | a recurring subject, theme, idea, etc., esp. 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: the profit motif of free enterprise. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
motif
To learn more about motif visit Britannica.com
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| mo·tif
Audio Help (mō-tēf') Pronunciation Key
n.
[French, from Old French, motive; see motive.] |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
motif
1848, from Fr. motif "dominant idea, theme" (see motive).
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| motif | |
noun | |
| 1. | a design or figure that consists of recurring shapes or colors, as in architecture or decoration |
| 2. | a theme that is repeated or elaborated in a piece of music |
| 3. | a unifying idea that is a recurrent element in literary or artistic work; "it was the usual 'boy gets girl' theme" [syn: theme] |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
motif [(moh-teef)]
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.
[Chapter:] Conventions of Written English
| The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
Motif
The standard graphical user interface and window manager from OSF, running on the X Window System.
| The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe |
Motif
Mo"tif\, n. [F.] Motive.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Motif
Mo`tif"\, n. [F.]1. In literature and the fine arts, a salient feature or element of a composition or work; esp., the theme, or central or dominant feature; specif. (Music), a motive. This motif, of old things lost, is a favorite one for the serious ballade. --R. M. Alden. The design . . . is . . . based on the peacock -- a motif favored by decorative artists of all ages. --R. D. Benn. 2. (Dressmaking) A decorative appliqu['e] design or figure, as of lace or velvet, used in trimming.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
MOTIF
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