Dictionary
mo•tif
Pronunciation: (mō-tēf'), [key]—
n.
1. a recurring subject, theme, idea, etc., esp. in a literary, artistic, or musical work.
2. a distinctive and recurring form, shape, figure, etc., in a design, as in a painting or on wallpaper.
3. a dominant idea or feature:
the profit motif of free enterprise. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.