leitmotiv
leitmotiv is the alternative form of leitmotif.
Meaning of leitmotif
Noun
leitmotif (plural leitmotifs)
- A melodic theme associated with a particular character, place, thing or idea in an opera.
- 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.2014, Michael Slowik, After the Silents, Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page 14
- A recurring theme.
- 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.1953 January, Thomas E. Mann, “The Making of "The Magic Mountain"”, in The Atlantic
- Synonyms:
- common thread
Forms of leitmotiv
| plural | leitmotivs |
|---|---|
| plural | leitmotive |
Questions about leitmotiv
- What is leitmotiv the alternative form of?
- Leitmotiv is the alternative form of leitmotif.
Words near leitmotiv in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: leitmotiv (page history and authors); leitmotif (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wodencafe-leitmotiv.wav.
Cite this entry: “leitmotiv.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/leitmotiv. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.