motif
/məʊˈtiːf/noun
1- a decorative design or pattern装饰性图案：
the colourful hand-painted motifs which adorn narrowboats.
运河船上色彩鲜艳的手绘装饰图案。
1.1
- a distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition（文艺作品的）特色; 中心思想, 主线：
the prison motif in Little Dorrit.
《小杜丽特》故事中的监狱主线。
1.3
- an ornament of lace, braid, etc. sewn separately on a garment（衣服）花边, 穗带。
1.4
- Biochemistry a distinctive sequence on a protein or DNA, having a three-dimensional structure that allows binding interactions to occur【生化】特征序列。
词源
mid 19th cent.: from French.