Motif - Definition and Overview

• In literature, a motif is any recurring element that has symbolic significance. For example, it could be a thing, a place, or a statement. The green light in The Great Gatsby is a motif, as is the repeated statement, "My father said that the reason for living is getting ready to stay dead" in William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying.
• In music, a motif is a perceivable or salient recurring fragment that may be used to construct the entirety or parts of complete melodies, themes, and even accompaniments. See motif (music) Distinguished from a musical figure.
• In biochemistry, a motif is a recurring pattern in the sequence of nucleotides or amino acids — see sequence motif (a.k.a. DNA motif) or structural motif (a.k.a. protein motif).
• In computing, Motif is a graphical user interface toolkit — see Motif (widget toolkit).
• For the concept in algebraic geometry, see motive (algebraic geometry); some mathematicians prefer to use motif as the singular.
• "Motif" is not properly considered a synonym for theme.