n.
- the subject of a talk, text, exhibition, etc.; a topic.
▸Linguistics the first major constituent of a clause, indicating the subject matter. Contrasted with rheme.
- a recurring or pervading idea in a work of art or literature.
▸Music a prominent or frequently recurring melody or group of notes in a composition.
▸
[as modifier]
(of music) frequently recurring in or accompanying the beginning and end of a film, play, etc.
-
[as modifier]
denoting a setting given to a restaurant, pub, or leisure venue, intended to evoke a particular country, historical period, etc.:
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an Irish theme pub.
- US a school essay written on a particular subject.
- Linguistics the stem of a noun or verb.
- historical any of the twenty-nine provinces in the Byzantine empire.
v.
[
often as adj. themed]
give a particular setting or theme to.
Etymology
ME: via OFr. from L. thema, from Gk, lit. ‘proposition’; rel. to tithenai ‘to set or place’.
