scheme

See also: Scheme and schème

English

Etymology

From Medieval Latin schēma (“figure, form”), from Ancient Greek σχῆμα (skhêma, “form, shape”), from ἔχω (ékhō, “I hold”). Compare sketch.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -iːm
• IPA^(key): /skiːm/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

scheme (plural schemes)

1. A systematic plan of future action.
   • Jonathan Swift

     The stoical scheme of supplying our wants by lopping off our desires, is like cutting off our feet when we want shoes.

   • 2013 June 1, “Ideas coming down the track”, in The Economist^[1], volume 407, number 8838, page 13 (Technology Quarterly):

     A “moving platform” scheme […] is more technologically ambitious than maglev trains even though it relies on conventional rails. Local trains would use side-by-side rails to roll alongside intercity trains and allow passengers to switch trains by stepping through docking bays. This set-up solves several problems […].

2. A plot or secret, devious plan.
3. An orderly combination of related parts.
   • John Locke

     the appearance and outward scheme of things

   • Atterbury

     such a scheme of things as shall at once take in time and eternity

   • J. Edwards

     arguments […] sufficient to support and demonstrate a whole scheme of moral philosophy

   • Macaulay

     The Revolution came and changed his whole scheme of life.

4. A chart or diagram of a system or object.
   • South

     to draw an exact scheme of Constantinople, or a map of France

5. (mathematics) A type of topological space.
6. (Britain, chiefly Scotland) A council housing estate.
   • 2008, James Kelman, Kieron Smith, Boy, Penguin 2009, p. 101:

     It was all too dear. They all just put their prices up because it was out in the scheme.

7. (rhetoric) An artful deviation from the ordinary arrangement of words.
8. (astrology) A representation of the aspects of the celestial bodies for any moment or at a given event.
   • Sir Walter Scott

     a blue case, from which was drawn a scheme of nativity

9. (Internet) Part of a uniform resource identifier indicating the protocol or other purpose, such as http: or news:.

Usage notes

In the US, generally has devious connotations, while in the UK, frequently used as a neutral term for projects: “The road is closed due to a pavement-widening scheme.”

Synonyms

• (a systematic plan of future action): blueprint

Translations

a systematic plan of future action

• Basque: azerikeria
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 計劃 (zh), 计划 (zh) (jìhuà)

• Czech: plán (cs) m
• Dutch: plan (nl)
• Finnish: suunnitelma (fi)
• French: plan (fr) m
• Galician: esquema m
• German: Programm (de) n, Plan (de) m, Projekt (de) n
• Greek: σχέδιο (el) n (schédio), πλάνο (el) n (pláno)

• Hebrew: תכנית‎ (he) f (toχnít)
• Icelandic: ráð (is) n, ráðagerð f
• Italian: schema (it) m, piano (it) m, progetto (it) m, programma (it) m
• Japanese: 計画 (ja) (けいかく, kēkaku), 企画 (ja) (きかく, kikaku), 案 (ja) (あん, an), 計画 (ja) (スキーム, sukīmu), (framework scheme) 枠組み (わくぐみ, wakugumi)
• Occitan: plan (oc) m, esquèma  m
• Polish: plan (pl) m, program (pl) m
• Portuguese: planejamento (pt) m, esquema (pt) m
• Russian: план (ru) m (plan), програ́мма (ru) f (prográmma)
• Spanish: proyecto (es) m
• Zulu: icebo (zu) class 5/6, isu class 5/6

secret, devious plan

• Arabic: مَكِيدَة‎ f (makīda)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 陰謀 (zh), 阴谋 (zh) (yīnmóu)

• Finnish: juoni (fi)
• French: combine (fr) f
• Greek: σκευωρία (el) f (skevoría), μηχανορραφία (el) f (michanorrafía), πλεκτάνη (el) f (plektáni)
• Hebrew: תחבולה‎ f (taχbulá)
• Icelandic: brugg (is) n

• Italian: macchinazione (it) f, stratagemma (it) m, intrigo (it) m
• Japanese: 陰謀 (ja) (いんぼう, inbō), 計略 (けいりゃく, kēryaku)
• Occitan: maquinacion f, intriga f
• Polish: intryga (pl) f
• Portuguese: esquema (pt) m
• Russian: план (ru) m (plan), за́мысел (ru) m (zámysel)
• Spanish: ardid (es) m, artimaña (es) f, maquinación f, estratagema (es) f, treta f, intriga (es) f

orderly combination of related parts

• Finnish: rakenne (fi)
• French: schéma (fr) m
• German: Schema (de) n
• Greek: συνδυασμός (el) m (syndyasmós)
• Hebrew: מבנה‎ m (mivné)

• Italian: schema (it) m
• Japanese: 体系 (ja) (たいけい, taikē), 構成 (ja) (こうせい, kōsē)
• Portuguese: esquema (pt) m
• Russian: структу́ра (ru) f (struktúra)
• Spanish: esquema (es) m

chart or diagram

• Czech: schéma (cs) n
• Finnish: kaavio (fi)
• French: schéma (fr) m
• German: Übersicht (de) f, Schema (de) n, Bild (de) n
• Greek: σχεδιάγραμμα (el) n (schediágramma)
• Hebrew: תרשים‎ m (tarshím)

• Italian: schema (it)
• Japanese: (chart) 表 (ja) (ひょう, hyō), (diagram) 図 (ja) (ず, zu), (chart and diagram) 図表 (ずひょう, zuhyō)
• Malay: skema
• Portuguese: esquema (pt) m
• Russian: схе́ма (ru) f (sxéma)
• Spanish: esquema (es) m

mathematics

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 概形 (zh) (gàixíng)

• Dutch: schema (nl)
• Finnish: järjestelmä (fi)
• French: schéma (fr) m

• Hebrew: סכימה‎ f (sχéma)
• Japanese: 概型 (がいけい, gaikē)
• Portuguese: esquema (pt) m
• Russian: схе́ма (ru) f (sxéma)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Arabic: ^{(please verify)} مُخَطَّط‎ m (muḵaṭṭaṭ)
• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} schema n, ^{(please verify)} programma n
• French: ^{(please verify)} système m, ^{(please verify)} schéma m
• German: ^{(please verify)} Schema n
• Hungarian: ^{(please verify)} terv
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} schema m

• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 계획 (gyehoek)
• Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 方案 (fāng àn)
• Serbo-Croatian: (1,2) ^{(please verify)} plan m, (3,4) ^{(please verify)} shema f
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} esquema m
• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} schema n

Verb

scheme (third-person singular simple present schemes, present participle scheming, simple past and past participle schemed)

1. (intransitive) To plot, or contrive a plan.
   • 2012 April 26, Tasha Robinson, “Film: Reviews: The Pirates! Band Of Misfits :”, in The Onion AV Club^[2]:

     The openly ridiculous plot has The Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) scheming to win the Pirate Of The Year competition, even though he’s a terrible pirate, far outclassed by rivals voiced by Jeremy Piven and Salma Hayek.

Translations

to contrive a plan

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 陰謀 (zh), 阴谋 (zh) (yīnmóu), 密謀 (zh), 密谋 (zh) (mìmóu)

• Finnish: suunnitella (fi)

• Greek: σχεδιάζω (el) (schediázo), απεργάζομαι (el) (apergázomai), εξυφαίνω (el) (exyfaíno)
• Japanese: 計画する (ja) (けいかくする, kēkaku suru)
• Russian: плани́ровать (ru) impf (planírovatʹ); замышля́ть (ru) impf (zamyšljátʹ), замы́слить (ru) pf (zamýslitʹ)

References

• Silva Rhetoricae

Anagrams

• Meches

---

Middle Low German

Pronunciation

• Stem vowel: ē¹
  • (originally) IPA^(key): /skɪəmə/

Etymology

From Old Saxon skimo (“shadow”). Originally masculine.

Noun

scheme m, f

1. A shadow, a shade; a darkness created by an object obstructing light
2. A shadow, a shade; something which is barely perceptible or not physical

   ...lose se van der walt der dusternisse unde van deme scheme des dodes. (" ...free them from the power of darkness and the shadow of death." )

3. A shimmer; a soft or weak occurrence of light
4. twilight; the lighting conditions at dusk and dawn
5. A face mask
6. aureola

Alternative forms

• sceme