motifs
|mo-tif|
🇺🇸
/moʊˈtiːf/
🇬🇧
/məʊˈtiːf/
(motif)
repeated theme or design
Etymology
'motif' originates from French, specifically the word 'motif', ultimately related to Latin 'motivus' (from 'movere' meaning 'to move'), where the sense concerned that which moves or provides motive.
'motif' entered English from French 'motif' (17th–18th century), influenced by French and Late Latin words related to 'motive' and Latin 'movere', and eventually became the modern English word 'motif' with artistic and musical senses.
Initially connected with 'motive' or something that moves/causes action, over time it evolved into the current meanings of 'recurring theme, pattern, or short musical idea' in art, literature, and music.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a recurring subject, theme, or idea in an artistic, literary, or film work.
The novel uses several recurring motifs to explore identity and memory.
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Noun 2
a short melodic or rhythmic idea that recurs and is developed within a musical composition.
The composer's motifs appear throughout the symphony.
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Last updated: 2026/01/13 22:45