See leitmotif on Wiktionary
Download JSON data for leitmotif meaning in All languages combined (6.7kB)
{
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "de",
"3": "Leitmotiv",
"4": "",
"5": "leading motif"
},
"expansion": "German Leitmotiv (“leading motif”)",
"name": "bor"
},
{
"args": {
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"2": "leiten",
"3": "",
"4": "to lead"
},
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{
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"2": "Motiv",
"3": "",
"4": "motif"
},
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}
],
"etymology_text": "From German Leitmotiv (“leading motif”), from leiten (“to lead”) + Motiv (“motif”), originally used to describe Wagnerian opera.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "leitmotifs",
"tags": [
"plural"
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"expansion": "leitmotif (plural leitmotifs)",
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"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "topical",
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"name": "Music",
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"parents": [
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"ref": "2014, Michael Slowik, After the Silents, Columbia University Press, page 14",
"text": "In Wagner's operas, especially his cycle of four operas known collectively as the Ring cycle, the leitmotif did not simply label or point to one particular character or object but rather conjured up a realm of ideas.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
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"A melodic theme associated with a particular character, place, thing or idea in an opera."
],
"id": "en-leitmotif-en-noun-yxHOolMO",
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],
"raw_glosses": [
"(music) A melodic theme associated with a particular character, place, thing or idea in an opera."
],
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"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "59 41",
"code": "hy",
"lang": "Armenian",
"roman": "leytmotiv",
"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"word": "լեյտմոտիվ"
},
{
"_dis1": "59 41",
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"word": "主題"
},
{
"_dis1": "59 41",
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "zhǔtí",
"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"word": "主题"
},
{
"_dis1": "59 41",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"word": "johtoaihe"
},
{
"_dis1": "59 41",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
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},
{
"_dis1": "59 41",
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"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"tags": [
"neuter"
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"word": "Leitmotiv"
},
{
"_dis1": "59 41",
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "láit motív",
"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "λάιτ μοτίβ"
},
{
"_dis1": "59 41",
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"word": "vezérmotívum"
},
{
"_dis1": "59 41",
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "leiðarstef"
},
{
"_dis1": "59 41",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "lejtmotyw"
},
{
"_dis1": "59 41",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "leitmotiv"
},
{
"_dis1": "59 41",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "lejtmotív",
"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "лейтмоти́в"
},
{
"_dis1": "59 41",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "leitmotiv"
},
{
"_dis1": "59 41",
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "ledmotiv"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
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"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
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"examples": [
{
"ref": "1953 January, Thomas E. Mann, “The Making of \"The Magic Mountain\"”, in The Atlantic",
"text": "People have pointed out the influence of Wagner’s music on my work. Certainly I do not disclaim this influence. In particular, I followed Wagner in the use of the leitmotif, which I carried over into the work of language.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1975 October 27, Aaron Latham, “John Connally on the Comeback Road”, in New York, volume 8, number 43, page 48",
"text": "If one looks for a pattern in the political life of John Connally, one finds a leitmotif of scandals which threatened but never destroyed his career.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2009, David Gallagher, Metamorphosis, Rodopi, page 183",
"text": "Mann's adaptation of Wagner's technique and its development throughout his writing is analysed, including how Mann uses the leitmotif in a naturalistic, characterising and mechanical sense in Buddenbrooks, attaching it to persons and situations as etiquettes.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2021 January 19, Roger Cohen, “Trump Bequeaths Biden an Upended World”, in The New York Times, →ISSN",
"text": "Such language about an American president from a European ally would have been unthinkable before Mr. Trump made outrage the leitmotif of his presidency, along with an assault on truth.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A recurring theme."
],
"id": "en-leitmotif-en-noun-vrT3bM-q",
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[
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"raw_glosses": [
"(by extension) A recurring theme."
],
"synonyms": [
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"word": "common thread"
}
],
"tags": [
"broadly"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "recurring theme",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "leitmotiv"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "recurring theme",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "thème récurrent"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "recurring theme",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "fil conducteur"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "recurring theme",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "fil rouge"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "recurring theme",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "leitmotiv"
}
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈlaɪt.məʊˌtiːf/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈlaɪt.moʊˌtif/",
"tags": [
"US"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈleɪt.moʊˌtif/",
"tags": [
"US"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈlaɪt.moʊˌtɪv/",
"tags": [
"US"
]
},
{
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"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/En-us-leitmotif.ogg",
"tags": [
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"text": "Audio (US)"
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"_dis1": "0 0",
"word": "leitmotiv"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0",
"word": "leit-motif"
}
],
"wikipedia": [
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],
"word": "leitmotif"
}
{
"categories": [
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"English countable nouns",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English nouns",
"English terms borrowed from German",
"English terms derived from German",
"English terms with IPA pronunciation",
"English terms with audio links"
],
"etymology_templates": [
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"4": "",
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"name": "bor"
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{
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],
"etymology_text": "From German Leitmotiv (“leading motif”), from leiten (“to lead”) + Motiv (“motif”), originally used to describe Wagnerian opera.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "leitmotifs",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
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"pos": "noun",
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{
"categories": [
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{
"ref": "2014, Michael Slowik, After the Silents, Columbia University Press, page 14",
"text": "In Wagner's operas, especially his cycle of four operas known collectively as the Ring cycle, the leitmotif did not simply label or point to one particular character or object but rather conjured up a realm of ideas.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A melodic theme associated with a particular character, place, thing or idea in an opera."
],
"links": [
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"raw_glosses": [
"(music) A melodic theme associated with a particular character, place, thing or idea in an opera."
],
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"entertainment",
"lifestyle",
"music"
]
},
{
"categories": [
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"examples": [
{
"ref": "1953 January, Thomas E. Mann, “The Making of \"The Magic Mountain\"”, in The Atlantic",
"text": "People have pointed out the influence of Wagner’s music on my work. Certainly I do not disclaim this influence. In particular, I followed Wagner in the use of the leitmotif, which I carried over into the work of language.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1975 October 27, Aaron Latham, “John Connally on the Comeback Road”, in New York, volume 8, number 43, page 48",
"text": "If one looks for a pattern in the political life of John Connally, one finds a leitmotif of scandals which threatened but never destroyed his career.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2009, David Gallagher, Metamorphosis, Rodopi, page 183",
"text": "Mann's adaptation of Wagner's technique and its development throughout his writing is analysed, including how Mann uses the leitmotif in a naturalistic, characterising and mechanical sense in Buddenbrooks, attaching it to persons and situations as etiquettes.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2021 January 19, Roger Cohen, “Trump Bequeaths Biden an Upended World”, in The New York Times, →ISSN",
"text": "Such language about an American president from a European ally would have been unthinkable before Mr. Trump made outrage the leitmotif of his presidency, along with an assault on truth.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
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],
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"(by extension) A recurring theme."
],
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"word": "common thread"
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],
"tags": [
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]
}
],
"sounds": [
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"ipa": "/ˈlaɪt.məʊˌtiːf/",
"tags": [
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]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈlaɪt.moʊˌtif/",
"tags": [
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},
{
"ipa": "/ˈleɪt.moʊˌtif/",
"tags": [
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},
{
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"tags": [
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]
},
{
"audio": "en-us-leitmotif.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/4e/En-us-leitmotif.ogg/En-us-leitmotif.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/En-us-leitmotif.ogg",
"tags": [
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],
"text": "Audio (US)"
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "leitmotiv"
},
{
"word": "leit-motif"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "hy",
"lang": "Armenian",
"roman": "leytmotiv",
"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"word": "լեյտմոտիվ"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"word": "主題"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "zhǔtí",
"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"word": "主题"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"word": "johtoaihe"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "leitmotiv"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "Leitmotiv"
},
{
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "láit motív",
"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "λάιτ μοτίβ"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"word": "vezérmotívum"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "leiðarstef"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "lejtmotyw"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "leitmotiv"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "lejtmotív",
"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "лейтмоти́в"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "leitmotiv"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "melodic theme in an opera",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "ledmotiv"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "recurring theme",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "leitmotiv"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "recurring theme",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "thème récurrent"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "recurring theme",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "fil conducteur"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "recurring theme",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "fil rouge"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "recurring theme",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "leitmotiv"
}
],
"wikipedia": [
"leitmotif"
],
"word": "leitmotif"
}
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.