Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1500-1600
Language: Latin
Origin: schema 'arrangement, figure', from Greek, from echein 'to have, hold, be in a condition'

scheme

1 noun
     
Related topics: Crime
scheme1 W1 [countable]
1 British English an official plan that is intended to help people in some way, for example by providing education or training [= program American English]
The money will be used for teacher training schemes.
scheme for
schemes for two new cross-city lines
scheme to do something
a new scheme to boost exports
pilot scheme (=something that is done on a small scale in order to see if it is successful enough to be done on a larger scale)
The pilot scheme proved to be a great success.
2SCC a clever plan, especially to do something that is bad or illegal - used in order to show disapproval:
a get-rich-quick scheme
scheme to do something
a scheme to pass false cheques
3 a system that you use to organize information, ideas etc:
4

in the scheme of things

in the way things generally happen, or are organized:
the unimportance of man in the whole scheme of things
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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