Theme θiːm Piece Noun Central/Main/Key/Major Births Recurring Leigh's

• the central/main/key/major theme
• births are a recurring theme in leigh's work.
• hot temperatures were a common theme over the past couple of weeks.
• the stories are all variations on the theme of unhappy marriage.

theme

1. the subject or main idea in a talk, piece of writing or work of art
• the central/main/key/major theme
• Births are a recurring theme in Leigh's work.
• Hot temperatures were a common theme over the past couple of weeks.
• The stories are all variations on the theme of unhappy marriage.
• North American literature is the main theme of this year's festival.
• The President stressed a favourite campaign theme—greater emphasis on education.
• The naked male figure was always the central theme of Greek art.
• Through sculptures Chen explored themes of illness, exile and cultural difference.

Extra Examples

• He gave a talk on the theme of teenage unemployment.
• His later novels develop the theme of alienation.
• Several familiar themes emerged from the discussion.
• The same themes run through all her novels.
• universal themes of love and loneliness
• The play touches on universal themes of loss and grief.
2. a short tune that is repeated or developed in a piece of music
• The trumpets' theme is then taken up by the rest of orchestra.
3. music that is played at the beginning and end and/or is often repeated in a film, television programme, etc.
• the theme from ‘The Godfather’
• The film's haunting musical theme stayed in my head for days.
• He wrote and sang the theme to the hit TV series, ‘Minder’.
• His theme is played each time he appears on screen.
4. a short piece of writing on a particular subject, done for school
5. the part of a sentence or clause that contains information that is not new to the reader or audience
• COMPARE rheme
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/rheme

Word Origin

• Middle English: via Old French from Latin thema, from Greek, literally ‘proposition’; related to tithenai ‘to set or place’.