motif

  1. Noun.  A recurring or dominant element; a theme.
  2. Noun.  (music) A short melodic passage that is repeated in several parts of a work.
  3. Noun.  A decorative figure that is repeated in a design.
  4. Noun.  (crystallography) The physical object or objects repeated at each point of a lattice. Usually atoms or molecules.

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This entry was last updated on RefTopia from its source on 3/20/2012.