Lick
Definition:
A lick is musical idea but it’s incomplete. It might be a fragment of a solo or a portion of a riff. By itself, it doesn’t usually become thematic. A lick that forms a theme essentially becomes a riff. A lick combines with other licks to form a complete musical idea. Because a lick isn’t the main theme, it doesn’t have that same association with the song, so it can be used in other songs without necessarily having to allude to the original.