motif

Definitions

• A recurring or dominant element; a theme.
• (music) A short melodic passage that is repeated in several parts of a work.
• A decorative figure that is repeated in a design or pattern.
• (dressmaking) A decorative appliqué design or figure, as of lace or velvet, used in trimming.
• (crystallography) The physical object or objects repeated at each point of a lattice. Usually atoms or molecules.
• (chess) A basic element of a move in terms of why the piece moves and how it supports the fulfilment of a stipulation.
• (biochemistry) In a nucleotide or amino-acid sequence, pattern that is widespread and has, or is conjectured to have, a biological significance.