topique

Topique is a term used in French with several related senses, all rooted in the idea of place, subject, or relevance. The word derives from Greek topos via Latin and French, and in general usage it denotes what is being talked about or the place where something is located in a discussion.

In linguistics and discourse analysis, topique designates the topic of an utterance—the part of a sentence that identifies what is being talked about, contrasted with the rheme, which carries the comment or information about that topic. For example, in the sentence “Le chat dort,” le chat is the topic and dort is the comment about it. In French scholarly prose, the term topique may be used in discussions of theme and topic structure, and is related to the English concept of topic.

In philosophy and rhetoric, topoi (plural) or topique can refer to standard argumentative places or commonplaces that writers and speakers use to develop reasoning. These topoi are conventional lines of argument that guide the construction of persuasive discourse.

In medical terminology, topique appears as a French noun and adjective meaning topical in the sense of being applied to the surface of the body. A topical treatment is prepared for external application, such as une crème topique (a topical cream) or une pommade topique. In English-speaking contexts, this sense corresponds to topical.

See also topos, topic, topical.