leitmotif

English

WOTD – 28 July 2007

Alternative forms

• leitmotiv, leit-motif

Etymology

From German Leitmotiv (“leading motif”), from leiten (“to lead”) + Motiv (“motif”), originally used to describe Wagnerian opera.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈlaɪt.məʊˌtiːf/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈlaɪt.moʊˌtif/, (nonstandard) /ˈleɪt.moʊˌtif/, (nonstandard) /ˈlaɪt.moʊˌtɪv/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

leitmotif (plural leitmotifs)

1. (music) A melodic theme associated with a particular character, place, thing or idea in an opera.
   • 2014, Michael Slowik, After the Silents, Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page 14:

     In Wagner's operas, especially his cycle of four operas known collectively as the Ring cycle, the leitmotif did not simply label or point to one particular character or object but rather conjured up a realm of ideas.

2. (by extension) A recurring theme.

   Synonym: common thread

   • 1953 January, Thomas E. Mann, “The Making of "The Magic Mountain"”, in The Atlantic‎^[1]:

     People have pointed out the influence of Wagner’s music on my work. Certainly I do not disclaim this influence. In particular, I followed Wagner in the use of the leitmotif, which I carried over into the work of language.

   • 1975 October 27, Aaron Latham, “John Connally on the Comeback Road”, in New York, volume 8, number 43, page 48:

     If one looks for a pattern in the political life of John Connally, one finds a leitmotif of scandals which threatened but never destroyed his career.

   • 2009, David Gallagher, Metamorphosis, Rodopi, →ISBN, page 183:

     Mann's adaptation of Wagner's technique and its development throughout his writing is analysed, including how Mann uses the leitmotif in a naturalistic, characterising and mechanical sense in Buddenbrooks, attaching it to persons and situations as etiquettes.

   • 2021 January 19, Roger Cohen, “Trump Bequeaths Biden an Upended World”, in The New York Times‎^[2], →ISSN:

     Such language about an American president from a European ally would have been unthinkable before Mr. Trump made outrage the leitmotif of his presidency, along with an assault on truth.

Translations

melodic theme in an opera

• Armenian: լեյտմոտիվ (hy) (leytmotiv)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 主題／主题 (zh) (zhǔtí)

• Finnish: johtoaihe
• French: leitmotiv (fr) m
• German: Leitmotiv (de) n
• Greek: λάιτ μοτίβ (el) n (láit motív)
• Hungarian: vezérmotívum (hu)
• Icelandic: leiðarstef n
• Polish: lejtmotyw (pl) m
• Portuguese: leitmotiv m
• Russian: лейтмоти́в (ru) m (lejtmotív), лейттема (ru) m (lejttema)
• Spanish: leitmotiv (es) m
• Swedish: ledmotiv (sv) n

recurring theme

• French: leitmotiv (fr) m, thème récurrent m, fil conducteur (fr) m, fil rouge (fr) m
• Spanish: leitmotiv (es) m