motif Definition

1. On clothing, etc: a single design or symbol.
2. A shape repeated many times within a pattern. Also called motive.

Thesaurus: figure, form, design, pattern, shape.
3. In the arts: something that is often repeated throughout a work or works, eg a passage of music in a symphony, or a theme in a novel.

Thesaurus: theme, subject, topic, concept, idea, leitmotif.