Motific

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /məʊˈtɪ.fɪk/

Definitions

1. Pertaining to or characteristic of a motif or recurring element in a work of art, literature, or music
2. Descriptive of something that involves or is shaped by motifs or repeated thematic features
3. Having to do with motifs, especially referring to the repetition or use of a unifying theme in creative works

Etymology: "Motific" is a plain English formation: an adjective built from "motif" with the suffix "-ic," meaning having the quality of a motif. The word "motif" itself came into English from French, where it was borrowed in the sense of a recurring theme in music or art, and the French "motif" traces back to Latin roots: "motus," meaning "motion," from "movere," "to move," plus "facere," "to make." The image is of something that sets a pattern in motion, a figure or idea that keeps returning and driving a work forward. The suffix "-ic" is the familiar adjective ending found in words like "poetic" or "musical," which turns a noun into a description of its character. So a motific passage is one that is built around repeated motifs, and the word is best understood as a derived term rather than an independent word with its own separate history.