Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A plan, outline, or model.
  • noun Psychology A pattern imposed on complex reality or experience to assist in explaining it, mediate perception, or guide response.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A diagram, or graphical representation, of certain relations of a system of things, without any pretense to the correct representation of them in other respects; in the Kantian philosophy, a product of the imagination intermediate between an image and a concept. being intuitive, and so capable of being observed, like the former, and general or quasi-general, like the latter.
  • noun Scheme; plan; outline; formerly, a geometrical diagram.
  • noun In logic, a figure of syllogism.
  • noun In ancient Grammar and rhetoric, a figure; a peculiar construction or mode of expression.
  • noun In the Gr. Ch., the monastic habit: distinguished as little and great.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Kantian Philos.) An outline or image universally applicable to a general conception, under which it is likely to be presented to the mind.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An outline or image universally applicable to a general conception, under which it is likely to be presented to the mind.
  • noun databases A formal description of the structure of a database: the names of the tables, the names of the columns of each table, and the type and other attributes of each column. (And similarly for the descriptive information of other database-like structures, such as XML files.)
  • noun logic A formula in the language of an axiomatic system, in which one or more schematic variables appear, which stand for any term or subformula of the system, which may or may not be required to satisfy certain conditions.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an internal representation of the world; an organization of concepts and actions that can be revised by new information about the world
  • noun a schematic or preliminary plan

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin schēma, schēmat-, form; see scheme.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin schēma, from Ancient Greek σχῆμα (skhēma, "form, shape").

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Examples

  • = GreenOnBlack. schema #schema = BlackOnLightYellow. schema

    Linux Journal - The Original Magazine of the Linux Community 2009

  • = GreenOnBlack. schema #schema = BlackOnLightYellow. schema

    Linux Journal - The Original Magazine of the Linux Community 2009

  • Using aGML application schema is clearly not a sufficient condition for interoperability, and only maybe is a necessary condition, but plenty of evidence that it helps. (lots more, but he talks faster than I can type … phew.) 15: 45: JohnLaxton, talking aboutGeoSciML v2: an interchange and mark-up language for geologic information.

    2009 April 23 | Serendipity 2009

  • Using aGML application schema is clearly not a sufficient condition for interoperability, and only maybe is a necessary condition, but plenty of evidence that it helps. (lots more, but he talks faster than I can type … phew.) 15: 45: JohnLaxton, talking aboutGeoSciML v2: an interchange and mark-up language for geologic information.

    Liveblogging the EGU – day 4 | Serendipity 2009

  • Using aGML application schema is clearly not a sufficient condition for interoperability, and only maybe is a necessary condition, but plenty of evidence that it helps. (lots more, but he talks faster than I can type … phew.) 15: 45: JohnLaxton, talking aboutGeoSciML v2: an interchange and mark-up language for geologic information.

    2009 April | Serendipity 2009

  • A schema is a way of thinking about or understanding the world, a “lens” or “window” through which one views reality.

    2008 September - Telic Thoughts 2008

  • Now this representation of a general procedure of the imagination to present its image to a conception, I call the schema of this conception.

    The Critique of Pure Reason Immanuel Kant 1764

  • We are told that it involves what he calls a schema, a “representation of a universal procedure of imagination in providing an image for a concept” (1781/1787

    His Name Was Do Re Mi 2009

  • If I’m working in code, and I have a set of native data types in any language I need to send over the network to another piece of code, what XML schema is easier to use than JSON?

    Scripting News for 12/21/2006 « Scripting News Annex 2006

  • This approach has been dubbed schema on read, since the data is interpreted at query (read) time, rather than when the data is loaded into the data store (schema on write).

    Asking Any Question Of All Your Data Tom White 2010

Comments

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  • A mental framework used to understand the world. We formulate schemata for every new situation we encounter, and store them away in our minds for recall when similar situations occur in the future. A person's collection of schemata is usually congruous with itself, resulting in a gestalt perception of the world that is logical and harmonious.

    Occasionally a person will encounter a crisis, or circumstance that markedly contradicts his or her existing framework, leading to a difficult period of schemata reevaluation/redefinition. This process, known as cognitive dissonance, can be painful to go through. It usually involves intense questioning of one's faith or values, lingering self-doubt, and a disconcerting sense of fear (as if the world known to that person has suddenly ended). In some cases, the process may never be fully resolved, often resulting in social withdrawal, depression, or bitterness. In other cases, it serves as an impetus for positive change.

    Because of the difficulty of the process, our natural defense mechanism is to reject anything that might challenge our schemata. It is easier to remain "blissfully ignorant" than to tear down an existing worldview and build a new one from scratch. We do ourselves a great disservice by this, however, essentially refusing to grow! When we are presented with challenging ideas, we must take care to avoid logical fallacies as we evaluate them. Only with an open mind can we be honest to ourselves, and mature in our perception of the world.

    September 21, 2007

  • Right on. Well said. Open-mindedness is the ability and willingness to treat one's collected schemata as a lego set rather than a monolith.

    September 21, 2007

  • Hey, that's a great analogy! :-)

    September 21, 2007

  • Indeed! Bravo to both of y'ins. :-)

    September 22, 2007

  • See: Tonsure, Rassophore, Stavrophore & Eskiem.

    January 30, 2009

  • The Readers Handbook for Advanced Reading. Catherine H. Stephens. pg.9.

    September 22, 2010

  • I never heard this word befor I read it in The Readers Handbook.

    October 1, 2010

  • In spite of myself recent events had rebooted the defense systems, dusted down the schema of combat. From "The Last Werewolf" by Glen Duncan.

    March 3, 2012