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theme
theme / [unvoicedth]ēm/ • n. 1. the subject of a talk, a piece of writing, a person's thoughts, or an exhibition; a topic: the theme of the sermon was reverence a show on the theme of waste and recycling. ∎ Linguistics the first major constituent of a clause, indicating the subject-matter, typically being the subject but optionally other constituents, as in “poor he is not.” Contrasted with rheme. ∎ an idea that recurs in or pervades a work of art or literature. ∎ Mus. a prominent or frequently recurring melody or group of notes in a composition. ∎ [as adj.] (of music) frequently recurring in or accompanying the beginning and end of a film, play, or musical: a theme song. ∎ a setting or ambience given to a leisure venue or activity: a family fun park with a western theme. ∎ [as adj.] denoting a restaurant or bar in which the decor and the food and drink served are intended to suggest a particular foreign country, historical period, or other ambience: a New Deal theme restaurant. ∎ [in comb.] (-themed) (mainly in journalism) characterized by a theme or pervasive influence: a golf-themed business park. ∎ an essay written by a student on an assigned subject. 2. Linguistics the stem of a noun or verb; the part to which inflections are added, esp. one composed of the root and an added vowel. 3. hist. any of the twenty-nine provinces in the Byzantine empire. • v. [tr.] give a particular setting or ambience to (a venue or activity): [as adj.] (themed) Independence Day was celebrated with special themed menus [in comb.] a golf-themed business park. ORIGIN: Middle English: via Old French from Latin thema, from Greek, literally ‘proposition’; related to tithenai ‘to set or place.’ |
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"theme." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "theme." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-theme.html "theme." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-theme.html |
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theme
theme. Succession of notes which play important part in construction of a comp. Same as subject, but also refers to part of a subject. In Theme and Variations, means the mus. statement on which variations are built. Theme-song is an unspecific term with several meanings, e.g. in a mus. play or film, a theme-song is a song which recurs several times, or has a special significance in a plot, or is the song from which the play takes its title. Also, tune assoc. with a variety artist and played when he or she comes on to the stage to perform is called his or her ‘theme song’, like signature-tune.
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MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "theme." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "theme." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-theme.html MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "theme." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-theme.html |
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theme
theme subject of a discourse XIII; exercise. essay XVI; inflexional base or stem. ME. teme — OF. *teme (tesme) — L. thēma (to which it was soon conformed in sp.) — Gr. théma proposition. f. *the- base of tithénai place (see DO1).
So thematic XVIII. — Gr. thematikós. |
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T. F. HOAD. "theme." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "theme." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-theme.html T. F. HOAD. "theme." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-theme.html |
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theme
theme
•abeam, agleam, beam, blaspheme, bream, cream, deem, deme, downstream, dream, esteem, extreme, gleam, hakim, kilim, meme, midstream, Nîmes, ream, régime, scheme, scream, seam, seem, steam, stream, supreme, team, teem, theme, upstream
•cross-beam • hornbeam • moonbeam
•sunbeam • academe • morpheme
•phoneme • jet stream • airstream
•daydream • mainstream • Brylcreem
•millstream • slipstream
•bloodstream • monotreme
•buttercream • raceme • septime
•centime
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Cite this article
"theme." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "theme." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-theme.html "theme." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-theme.html |
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