Motif
Etymology
French "motif" (motive, moving cause), from Late Latin "motivus" (serving to move), from Latin "movere" (to move) — the same root as "motive." The recurring element is what "moves" the work forward and gives it unity.
noun · /moh-TEEF/
A short recurring element — a musical phrase, image, or idea — that a work returns to and develops.
What it names
It gives one word for the small repeated unit that stitches a work together, whether a four-note figure in a symphony or a recurring image in a film or novel.
Example
A rising three-note motif keeps surfacing, in the strings, then the horns, then the whole orchestra.
Related idea
A motif is a short recurring cell; a leitmotif is a motif deliberately tied to a specific character, place, or idea so its return carries meaning. Every leitmotif is a motif, but a plain motif need not signify anything.