theme (θiːm
)
Definitions
noun
- an idea or topic expanded in a discourse, discussion, etc
- (in literature, music, art, etc) a unifying idea, image, or motif, repeated or developed throughout a work
- music a group of notes forming a recognizable melodic unit, often used as the basis of the musical material in a composition
- a short essay, esp one set as an exercise for a student
- linguistics the first major constituent of a sentence, usually but not necessarily the subject. In the sentence the first major constituent of a sentence, usually but not necessarily the subject. In the sentence history I do like, "history" is the theme of the sentence, even though it is the object of the verb
- grammar another word for root1 (sense 9) , stem1 (sense 9)
- (in the Byzantine Empire) a territorial unit consisting of several provinces under a military commander
- (modifier) planned or designed round one unifying subject, image, etc ⇒
a theme holiday
verb
- (tr) to design, decorate, arrange, etc, in accordance with a theme
Alternative Forms
ˈthemeless adjectiveWord Origin
C13: from Latin thema, from Greek: deposit, from tithenai to lay downSynonyms
View thesaurus entryTranslations
- British English:
theme
A theme in a piece of writing, a discussion, or a work of art is an important idea or subject in it.The book's central theme is power.θiːm NOUN The book's central theme is power.
- Spanish:
tema
nm
- French:
thème
nm
- German:
Thema
nnt Themen
- Chinese: 主题 n
- Arabic: مَوْضُوع n
- Portuguese: tema nm
- Russian: тема nf
- Croatian: tema nf
- Czech: téma nnt
- Danish: tema nnt
- Dutch: thema nnt
- Finnish: teema n
- Greek: κεντρική ιδέα nf
- Italian: tema nf
- Japanese: テーマ n
- Korean: 주제 n
- Norwegian: tema nnt
- Polish: temat nm
- Brazilian Portuguese: tema nm
- European Spanish:
tema
nm
- Swedish: tema nnt
- Thai: หัวข้อ n
- Turkish: konu n
- Vietnamese: chủ đề n
Usage examples
As for the interior --- I found its dispensary theme completely absurd.
, RESCUING ROSE (2002)However one of the largest boosts for surfing came in the form of a slight variation on the theme.
Country Life (2004)Their theme is of an irreversible retreat towards insignificance, that pale land Clare swore they'd never visit again.
Irish Times (2002)Mozart's six Haydn quartets are to be a running theme in Edinburgh next season.
Glasgow Herald (2001)Try to unravel the occult theme of any children's story you can get hold of, too.
, A WITCH ALONE (2002)