DefinedTerm Schema

DefinedTerm schema is structured data markup that identifies content as an authoritative definition of a concept. It marks definitions as directly extractable by AI systems looking for concept explanations, making glossary entries and definition paragraphs machine-readable without requiring the AI to infer that the content is definitional.

Implementation

DefinedTerm schema uses JSON-LD format with properties including name (the term), description (the definition), and inDefinedTermSet (the glossary or vocabulary it belongs to). Apply it to glossary entries, definition paragraphs within articles, and any content that directly defines a concept. Pair DefinedTerm with the definition paragraph writing structure (“[Topic] is [definition]. [Context]. [Key distinction].”) for maximum citation probability. The schema tells the AI the content is a definition, and the paragraph structure makes the definition optimally extractable.

For the complete schema implementation framework, see the Generative Engine Optimization guide.