pl. TOPOI (TOH-poy) From the Greek for "place" (short for "commonplace"), a literary passage or expression which becomes a conventional theme in subsequent literature. Although more commonly used in some literary genres than others, the term refers to content rather than form. Sidelight: Standardized topics such as the poet's invocation if the Muse or of a dear departed "having gone to a better world" are examples of topoi, as well as are many metaphors.(Compare Motif)