||Mo`tif" (?), n. [F.] 1. In literature and the fine arts, a salient feature or element of a composition or work; esp., the theme, or central or dominant feature; specif. (Music), a motive.

This motif, of old things lost, is a favorite one for the serious ballade.

The design . . . is . . . based on the peacock -- a motif favored by decorative artists of all ages.

2. (Dressmaking) A decorative appliqué design or figure, as of lace or velvet, used in trimming.

Mo"tif (?), n. [F.] Motive.

||Mo`tif" (?), n. [F.] 1. In literature and the fine arts, a salient feature or element of a composition or work; esp., the theme, or central or dominant feature; specif. (Music), a motive.

This motif, of old things lost, is a favorite one for the serious ballade.

The design . . . is . . . based on the peacock -- a motif favored by decorative artists of all ages.

2. (Dressmaking) A decorative appliqué design or figure, as of lace or velvet, used in trimming.

• A recurring or dominant theme.