Theme

How to spell theme

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce theme

What does theme mean?

1. nounThe central subject, recurring idea, or unifying motif of a work, event, or discussion.

Theme in a sentence

• The central theme of the report was rising household debt.

• The wedding had a vintage theme, with old lace and antique chairs.

Where does theme come from?

Language of origin: Greek

Theme traces back to the Greek word thema, which literally meant 'something set down' or 'a proposition put forward', from the verb tithenai meaning 'to put or place'. From there it passed into Latin as thema, keeping the sense of a subject laid out for discussion, and then into Old French as tesme or teme before reaching English in the Middle Ages. By the 1300s English writers were using it for the topic of a piece of writing or a school exercise on a set subject. The 'th' spelling, restored from the Greek theta, is what makes the word look more learned than it sounds; many of its relatives, such as 'thesis' and 'antithesis', share the same root idea of something laid down for argument. Over time the meaning broadened from a written subject to any recurring idea, decorative motif, or signature musical passage.

How the word is built

• them- (from Greek thema: something set down, a proposition)
• -e