schema
n. countablen. a mental map or plan that helps you organize information. It is a pattern you use to understand how things work or how they are connected. In computing, a schema is a formal description of how a database is organized, including its structure and the rules for the data it contains.
n. a mental framework or conceptual structure that facilitates the organization and interpretation of information. Often refers to a formal representation of a plan or theory in logic and cognitive science. In computing and database management, a schema refers to the formal structure or blueprint that defines the organization of data, including tables, fields, and the relationships between them.
Your brain uses a schema to understand what happens at a restaurant.
The researcher developed a complex schema to categorize the different types of logical fallacies found in the debate transcripts.
In cognitive psychology, a schema allows an individual to process vast amounts of sensory data by filtering it through pre-existing categories and expectations derived from past experiences.
Unadapted borrowing from Latin schēma, from Ancient Greek σχῆμα (skhêma, “form, shape”). Doublet of scheme.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
The plural form is either 'schemas' or the more formal, Greek-derived 'schemata'.
Last updated July 22, 2026