[thee-muh] 
[theem] noun, adjective, verb, themed, them⋅ing.| 1. | a subject of discourse, discussion, meditation, or composition; topic: The need for world peace was the theme of the meeting. |
| 2. | a unifying or dominant idea, motif, etc., as in a work of art. |
| 3. | a short, informal essay, esp. a school composition. |
| 4. | Music.
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| 5. | Grammar. the element common to all or most of the forms of an inflectional paradigm, often consisting of a root with certain formative elements or modifications. Compare stem 1 (def. 16). |
| 6. | Linguistics. topic (def. 4). |
| 7. | Also, thema. an administrative division of the Byzantine Empire. |
| 8. | having a unifying theme: a theme restaurant decorated like a spaceship. |
| 9. | to provide with a theme. |
A central idea in a piece of writing or other work of art: “The theme of desperation is found throughout his novels.” Also a short composition assigned to a student as a writing exercise.
thema
in the Byzantine Empire, originally, a military unit stationed in a provincial area; in the 7th century the name was applied to large military districts formed as buffer territories against Muslim encroachments in Anatolia.
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