9 letters · 14 points in Scrabble
noun a melodic phrase that accompanies the reappearance of a person or situation (as in Wagner's operas)
originFrom German Leitmotiv (“leading motif”), from leiten (“to lead”) + Motiv (“motif”), originally used to describe Wagnerian opera. The spelling was influenced by motif.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0