leitmotif

leitmotif Definition

leit·mo·tif (līt′mō tēf′)

noun

a short, recurring musical phrase or theme, esp. as used in Wagnerian opera to represent a given character, emotion, etc.
a dominant theme or underlying pattern

Etymology: Ger leitmotiv < leiten, to lead + motiv, motive

leitmotif Usage Examples

Preposition: of

book: This almost typically British distrust of serious scholarship forms a leitmotif of the book.

Converse of object

become: Yet it is The Colony Room that has become a leitmotif in presentations of the ` School of London ' .
provide: Loneliness, in one form or another, provides the leitmotif of the book.
form: This almost typically British distrust of serious scholarship forms a leitmotif of the book.

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