motif
pronunciation
How to pronounce motif in British English:
UK [məʊˈtiːf]
How to pronounce motif in American English:
US [moʊˈtiːf]
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- Noun:
- a design that consists of recurring shapes or colors
- a theme that is elaborated on in a piece of music
- a unifying idea that is a recurrent element in a literary or artistic work
Word Origin
- motif (n.)
- "theme, predominant feature," 1848, from French motif "dominant idea, theme" (see motive).
Example
- 1. Last summer , the city asked a design agency to come up with ways to incorporate a serpent motif .
- 2. The hotel 's other motif is the white fabric in which sofas and chairs come wrapped .
- 3. Indeed plane crashes ( like his father , salem died in one in 1988 ) provide a constant motif running through the story .
- 4. My motif is old album covers -- there were two , but one frame broke . Now there 's just one on the wall , notcentered .
- 5. Centered on a drum motif that elicits the opening ceremonies in the beijing opening ceremony four years ago , users compete with others online to hit chinese-style drums scattered throughout the levels .