Skip to definition.
Get the FREE one-click dictionary software for Windows or the iPhone/iPad and Android apps


Noun: motif  mow'teef
  1. A design or figure that consists of recurring shapes or colours, as in architecture or decoration
    - motive
     
  2. A theme that is repeated or elaborated in a piece of music
    - motive
     
  3. A unifying idea that is a recurrent element in literary or artistic work
    "it was the usual 'boy gets girl' motif";
    - theme

Derived forms: motifs

Type of: design, figure, idea, melodic theme, musical theme, pattern, theme, thought

Encyclopedia: Motif