schema
schema Lexical Profile
schema Game Scores & Validity
• noun
In computing, a formal description of the structure, organization, and constraints of data within a database or markup document.
"Before migrating the records, the engineering team updated the database schema to include a new table for customer preferences."
A structured representation of a plan, theory, or system in the form of an outline, model, or diagram.
"The architect presented a preliminary schema illustrating how the new transit hub would connect to existing rail lines."
In psychology and cognitive science, a mental framework or pattern of thought that organizes categories of information and the relationships among them.
"Children continually adapt their existing mental schemas as they encounter unfamiliar objects and social situations."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'schemas' is the most common plural in computing and everyday business contexts, the classical plural 'schemata' remains preferred in formal philosophy, linguistics, and psychology.
• Rhymes for schema
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Latin 'schema' and ultimately from Ancient Greek 'schēma', meaning 'form, figure, shape, or appearance', derived from the verb 'echein' ('to have, hold, or be in a given state').