schema

noun

sche·​ma ˈskē-mə 

plural schemata ˈskē-mə-tə  also schemas

1

: a diagrammatic presentation

broadly : a structured framework or plan : outline

2

: a mental codification of experience that includes a particular organized way of perceiving cognitively and responding to a complex situation or set of stimuli

Examples of schema in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As mentioned above, businesses employing direct database access—some of them for many years—have struggled with a few issues, including: • Business users with direct connections to a database must understand table relationships, computations and database schema. —Artyom Keydunov, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024

There was no existing schema for someone like Harris. —Nick Penzenstadler, USA TODAY, 20 July 2024

What’s behind this penchant for Black women to perpetrate superwoman schema and put themselves last, to their mental detriment? —Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 19 July 2024

There isn’t enough flash, enough excess, enough room for imperfection, for details that don’t fit into the schema. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 6 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Greek schēmat-, schēma

First Known Use

circa 1890, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

schema

noun

sche·​ma ˈskē-mə 

plural schemata -mət-ə  also schemas

1

: a nonconscious adjustment of the brain to the afferent impulses indicative of bodily posture that is a prerequisite of appropriate bodily movement and of spatial perception

2

: the organization of experience in the mind or brain that includes a particular organized way of perceiving cognitively and responding to a complex situation or set of stimuli