Central theme (5)
I believe the answer is:
motif
<span class="explanation-format__ClueExplanation">'<span class="explanation-format__original">central theme</span>' is the definition.<br/ ><span class="explanation-format__explanation">(I've seen this in another clue)</span><br/ ><br/ >This is all the clue.<br/ ></span>
(Other definitions for motif that I've seen before include "Single design - theme" , "Characteristic theme" , "Theme, perhaps musical" , "Logo -- pattern" , "Recurring image in design" .)