Pronounced: LIGHT-moh-teef, noun
Notes: Also spelled “leitmotiv”
Yesterday’s word
The word verdure means
- the greenness of growing vegetation; also, the vegetation itself
- a condition of health and vigor
First usage
Our word came into English in the mid- to late 1200s
Background / Comments
I recognized the root of our word as “green”; however, I was unaware of the second meaning above. Our word came from the Latin word virere (to be green).
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 