theme

—themeless, adj.

/theem/, n., adj., v., themed, theming.

n.

1. a subject of discourse, discussion, meditation, or composition; topic: The need for world peace was the theme of the meeting.

2. a unifying or dominant idea, motif, etc., as in a work of art.

3. a short, informal essay, esp. a school composition.

4. Music.

a. a principal melodic subject in a musical composition.

b. a short melodic subject from which variations are developed.

5. Gram. the element common to all or most of the forms of an inflectional paradigm, often consisting of a root with certain formative elements or modifications. Cf. stem¹ (def. 16).

6. Ling. topic (def. 4).

7. Also, thema. an administrative division of the Byzantine Empire.

adj.

8. having a unifying theme: a theme restaurant decorated like a spaceship.

v.t.

9. to provide with a theme.

[1250-1300; ME teme, theme ( < OF teme) < ML thema, L < Gk théma proposition, deposit, akin to tithénai to put, set down]

Syn. 1. thesis, text. See subject. 3. paper.

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      in music, short melody or melodic phrase developed in a musical composition. See melody.

▪ Byzantine government

Greek  Thema,  

      in the Byzantine Empire, originally, a military unit stationed in a provincial area; in the 7th century the name was applied to large military districts formed as buffer territories against Muslim encroachments in Anatolia.

      The organization of territory into themes began under Emperor Heraclius (reigned 610–641), who stationed troops in three large districts under the command of military governors (stratēgoi). Soldiers were settled in the themes as farmers, helping to build a permanent citizen army.

      In the 7th century there were four themes: Armeniakon (northeast Anatolia), Anatolikon (central Anatolia), Opsikion (northwest Anatolia), and Carabisiani (southwest Anatolia and adjacent islands). By the 9th century the system was extended to the whole empire, and there were five in Anatolia, four in Europe, and one maritime theme. By the 10th century they had been further subdivided into 29, and by the end of the 11th century there were 38 themes.

      In the 11th century they began to lose their military character, as the farmer-soldiers were allowed to commute their military service by paying a tax. The stratēgoi lost power as the empire weakened and the praetors, representatives of the civil power, grew in influence. The disintegration of the theme organization contributed to the collapse of the empire.

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