theme

[ theem ]

/ θim /

noun

a subject of discourse, discussion, meditation, or composition; topic: The need for world peace was the theme of the meeting.

a unifying or dominant idea, motif, etc., as in a work of art.

a short, informal essay, especially a school composition.

Music.

a principal melodic subject in a musical composition.
a short melodic subject from which variations are developed.

Grammar. the element common to all or most of the forms of an inflectional paradigm, often consisting of a root with certain formative elements or modifications. Compare stem¹(def 16).

Linguistics. topic(def 4).

Also thema. an administrative division of the Byzantine Empire.

adjective

having a unifying theme: a theme restaurant decorated like a spaceship.

verb (used with object), themed, them·ing.

to provide with a theme.

Origin of theme

1250–1300; Middle English teme, theme (< Old French teme) < Medieval Latin thema, Latin < Greek théma proposition, deposit, akin to tithénai to put, set down

SYNONYMS FOR theme

1 thesis, text. See subject.

3 paper.

OTHER WORDS FROM theme

theme·less, adjective sub·theme, noun

Words nearby theme

them's fighting words, thema, thematic, thematic apperception test, thematization, theme, theme park, theme song, themis, themistocles, themself

British Dictionary definitions for subtheme

theme

/ (θiːm) /

noun

an idea or topic expanded in a discourse, discussion, etc

(in literature, music, art, etc) a unifying idea, image, or motif, repeated or developed throughout a work

music a group of notes forming a recognizable melodic unit, often used as the basis of the musical material in a composition

a short essay, esp one set as an exercise for a student

linguistics the first major constituent of a sentence, usually but not necessarily the subject. In the sentence history I do like, "history" is the theme of the sentence, even though it is the object of the verb

grammar another word for root 1 (def. 9), stem 1 (def. 9)

(in the Byzantine Empire) a territorial unit consisting of several provinces under a military commander

(modifier) planned or designed round one unifying subject, image, etc a theme holiday

verb

(tr) to design, decorate, arrange, etc, in accordance with a theme

Derived forms of theme

themeless, adjective

Word Origin for theme

C13: from Latin thema, from Greek: deposit, from tithenai to lay down

Cultural definitions for subtheme

theme

A central idea in a piece of writing or other work of art: “The theme of desperation is found throughout his novels.” Also a short composition assigned to a student as a writing exercise.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

theme

noun

adjective

verb (used with object), themed, them·ing.

Origin of theme

SYNONYMS FOR theme

OTHER WORDS FROM theme

Words nearby theme

British Dictionary definitions for subtheme

noun

verb

Derived forms of theme

Word Origin for theme

Cultural definitions for subtheme

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

theme

noun

adjective

verb (used with object), themed, them·ing.

Origin of theme

SYNONYMS FOR theme

OTHER WORDS FROM theme

Words nearby theme

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for subtheme

noun

verb

Derived forms of theme

Word Origin for theme

Cultural definitions for subtheme

British Dictionary definitions for subtheme