Hypertext Webster Gateway: "motif"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Motif \Mo"tif\, n. [F.]
Motive.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
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.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
motif
n 1: a design that consists of recurring shapes or colors
2: a theme that is elaborated on in a piece of music [syn: {motive}]
3: a unifying idea that is a recurrent element in a literary or
artistic work; "it was the usual `boy gets girl' theme"
[syn: {theme}]
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