Motif

Webster's Dictionary of the English Language

·noun Motive.

II. Motif ·add. ·noun A decorative applique design or figure, as of lace or velvet, used in trimming.

III. Motif ·add. ·noun In literature and the fine arts, a salient feature or element of a composition or work; ·esp., the theme, or central or dominant feature; specif. (Music), a motive.