theme
(thēm)
[Middle English teme, theme, from Old French tesme, from Latin thema, from Greek.]
noun
- A topic of discourse or discussion. See synonyms at subject
- A subject of artistic representation.
- An implicit or recurrent idea; a motif: a theme of powerlessness that runs through the diary; a party with a tropical island theme.
- A short composition assigned to a student as a writing exercise.
- Music The principal melodic phrase in a composition, especially a melody forming the basis of a set of variations.
- Linguistics A stem.
- Linguistics See topic
transitive verb: themed, them·ing, themes.
- Usage Problem To provide with a particular topic or motif. See Usage Note at: themed
derivatives
- theméless
- adjective
top·ic
(tŏṕĭk)
[Obsolete topic, rhetorical argument sing. of Topics, title of a work by Aristotle, from Latin Topica, from Greek Topika, commonplaces from neuter pl. of topikos, of a place, from topos, place.]
noun
- The subject of a speech, essay, thesis, or discourse.
- A subject of discussion or conversation.
- A subdivision of a theme, thesis, or outline. See synonyms at subject
- Linguistics A word or phrase in a sentence, usually providing information from previous discourse or shared knowledge, that the rest of the sentence elaborates or comments on. Also called theme
