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thème

theme, subject

noun TEM Less Common
Arts & Culture Literature

Origin: Greek 'thema' (something set down)

Also means

translation exercise (school)

Usage Note

Thème in school refers to a translation exercise from French into a foreign language (the reverse of version, which is translating into French). In music or literature it refers to a recurring motif or subject. Thème musical is a leitmotif, while thème de conversation is simply a topic of conversation.

Examples

"Le thème principal du roman est la liberté."

Natural Translation

The main theme of the novel is freedom.

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