/ θiːm; NAmE / noun , adjective
■ noun
1.
the subject or main idea in a talk, piece of writing or work of art :
North American literature is the main theme of this year's festival.
The President stressed a favourite campaign theme—greater emphasis on education.
The naked male figure was always the central theme of Greek art.
The stories are all variations on the theme of unhappy marriage.
2.
( music ) a short tune that is repeated or developed in a piece of music
3.
= theme music :
the theme from 'The Godfather'
4.
( old-fashioned , NAmE ) a short piece of writing on a particular subject, done for school
5.
( linguistics ) the part of a sentence or clause that contains information that is not new to the reader or audience
—compare rheme
■ adjective
( BrE ) theme pub / bar / restaurant, etc. a pub, bar, etc. that is designed to reflect a particular subject or period of history :
an Irish theme pub
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : via Old French from Latin thema , from Greek , literally proposition ; related to tithenai to set or place.