motif
1. a distinctive idea, esp a theme elaborated on in a piece of music, literature, etc.
2. a recurring form or shape in a design or pattern
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
Motif
A part or element repeated in an ornamental design.
Illustrated Dictionary of Architecture Copyright © 2012, 2002, 1998 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
motif
A principal repeated element in an ornamental design.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Motif
This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (foldoc.org)
Motif
The graphical user interface (GUI) endorsed by the Open Software Foundation. Motif became the standard graphical interface for Unix workstations. Although it is still used, numerous other graphical interfaces have become more popular (see KDE and GNOME). See Open Group. |
| The Motif GUI |
|---|
| For several years, Motif was the de facto standard graphical interface in the Unix world. (Screenshot courtesy of The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc.) |
Copyright © 1981-2025 by The Computer Language Company Inc. All Rights reserved. THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher.
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Motif
in literature, the simplest unit of meaning in myths and tales, which cannot be further divided, for example, the motif of the abduction of the bride. A combination of several motifs constitutes the plot (fabula) or story (siuzhet). There are often similar motifs in the epics of different nations. Folklore motifs may also be used in later periods.
In modern literature, motifs are the simplest units of story (siuzhet) development: they may be dynamic, moving the plot (fabula) forward, or static and descriptive but indispensable for the story (siuzhet). The significance of a motif depends not on its own meaning but rather on its role in the artistic structure.
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.