What does motif in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word motif in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use motif in French.

The word motif in French means motive, reason, pattern, motif, charge, on the grounds that, on the basis that, layoff for economic reasons, layoff on economic grounds, economic layoff, crosshatched pattern, cause for concern, reason to be happy, for no apparent reason. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word motif

motive, reason

nom masculin (raison, justification)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Quel est le motif de votre réclamation ?
What is the reason for your complaint?

pattern, motif

nom masculin (élément répété)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Le motif du papier peint est joli. // J'aime beaucoup les motifs de ta chemise.
The wallpaper motif is nice. // I really like the pattern of your shirt.

charge

nom masculin (argot (armée : punition) (military)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Le capitaine a collé un motif à ce soldat indiscipliné.
The captain put the unruly soldier on a fizzer.

on the grounds that, on the basis that

locution adverbiale (parce que)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Il ne s'est pas présenté à l'entretien au motif que les transports en commun étaient en grève.

layoff for economic reasons, layoff on economic grounds, economic layoff

nom masculin (renvoi pour faillite) (mainly US)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Suite à une forte baisse des ventes, la direction doit mettre en place un licenciement pour motif économique.

crosshatched pattern

nom masculin (lignes qui s'entrecoisent)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Ces portes en bois sont ornées de motifs à croisillons.

cause for concern

nom masculin (cause de souci)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Cette douleur permanente à la tête devient un motif d'inquiétude.

reason to be happy

nom masculin (raison de contentement)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
La réussite du fils à ses examens est un motif de satisfaction pour le père.

for no apparent reason

locution adverbiale (de façon a priori non compréhensible)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

Let's learn French

So now that you know more about the meaning of motif in French, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in French.

Do you know about French

French (le français) is a Romance language. Like Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, it comes from popular Latin, once used in the Roman Empire. A French-speaking person or country can be called a "Francophone". French is the official language in 29 countries. French is the fourth most spoken native language in the European Union. French ranks third in the EU, after English and German, and is the second most widely taught language after English. The majority of the world's French-speaking population lives in Africa, with about 141 million Africans from 34 countries and territories who can speak French as a first or second language. French is the second most widely spoken language in Canada, after English, and both are official languages at the federal level. It is the first language of 9.5 million people or 29% and the second language of 2.07 million people or 6% of the entire population of Canada. In contrast to other continents, French has no popularity in Asia. Currently, no country in Asia recognizes French as an official language.