leitmotif

leit·mo·tif also leit·mo·tiv  (ltm-tf)

n.

1. A melodic passage or phrase, especially in Wagnerian opera, associated with a specific character, situation, or element.

2. A dominant and recurring theme, as in a novel.

---

[German Leitmotiv : leiten, to lead (from Middle High German, from Old High German leitan; see leit- in Indo-European roots) + Motiv, motif (from French motif; see motif).]

---

leitmotif or leitmotiv [lite-mote-eef]

Noun

1. Music a recurring melodic phrase used to suggest a character, thing, or idea

2. an often repeated image in a literary work [German: leading motif]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

leitmotif - a melodic phrase that accompanies the reappearance of a person or situation (as in Wagner's operas) leitmotiv melodic line, melodic phrase, melody, tune, strain, air, line - a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence; "she was humming an air from Beethoven"