Definition of "topos" [topos]

• A traditional theme or motif; a literary convention. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Aristotle says: “we must find the location (topos) from which to attack,” where the word ˜topos™ is obviously used to mean a starting point for attacking the theses of the opponents."
• "The notion of topos is due for a revival, especially if we are to consider seriously the recuperation of sentimental poetry and the many women poets who do not invest in the masculinised rhetorics of anti-rhetoric proffered in the Lyrical Ballads model of Romantic-period literary history."
• "In addition, help was offered by a search-and-rescue group called "topos" -- (moles) -- organized by youths who dug through collapsed buildings after Mexico City's 1985 earthquake."