noun
or leit·mo·tif |lītmō|tēf
( -s )
Etymology: German leitmotiv, from leit- leading (from leiten to lead, from Old High German) + motiv motive from French motif — more at lead
1.
a. : a marked melodic phrase or figure in Wagnerian music drama expressive of or associated with a certain idea, person, or situation and accompanying its reappearance
b. : a similar principle of construction in other music
2. : something resembling a musical leitmotiv (as a word or phrase, an emotion, an idea) that is repeated again and again : a dominant recurring theme
faith in the saving grace of art has been the leitmotiv of the entire autobiography — C.J.Rolo
the word “again” has become the leitmotiv of German life — Norbert Mühlen
a competent designer instinctively chooses a theme or leitmotiv for a given structure, and allows it to influence all his choice of form and line — W.D.Teague