Relief maps, informally

• Venetian fishing boats
• Basic concept of drunkard about to secure work
• Literary convention
• Traditional literary theme or motif

WordNet Word definitions in WordNet
n. a traditional theme or motif or literary convention; "James Joyce uses the topos of the Wandering Jew in his Ulysses" [also: topoi (pl)]

Wikipedia Word definitions in Wikipedia
Topos may refer to: Topos (plural topoi) – a type of category in mathematics Classifying topos –a topos that categorifies the models of a structure in another topos Effective topos –a topos that captures the idea of effectivity in mathematics Étale topos ...

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary Word definitions in Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
"literary theme," 1948, from Greek topos , literally "place."

Wiktionary Word definitions in Wiktionary
n. 1 A literary theme or motif; a rhetorical convention or formula. 2 (context mathematics English) A certain mathematical structure found in category theory.