---
term: "DefinedTerm"
canonical: https://citable.wiki/glossary/defined-term
also_known_as: "schema.org/DefinedTerm, DefinedTermSet"
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# DefinedTerm

**Definition:** DefinedTerm is a Schema.org type for a word, name, acronym or phrase that has a formal definition. It carries a name, a description that holds the definition, an optional termCode, and an inDefinedTermSet link to the DefinedTermSet — the glossary or classification — it belongs to. It is the natural markup for a glossary entry and tells a machine that a passage is a definition.

`DefinedTerm` sits under `Intangible` in the Schema.org hierarchy. Schema.org describes it as a word, name, acronym or phrase with a formal definition, and lists category systems, glossaries, dictionaries and product classifications as typical uses. A `DefinedTermSet` groups terms; it is itself a `CreativeWork`, so a whole glossary can have an author and a URL. Several properties elsewhere in the vocabulary, including `keywords`, accept a `DefinedTerm` as a value, which lets an article point at a controlled term rather than a free-text tag.

Definitions are among the most quoted passage types, and a definition marked as `DefinedTerm` with a stable `@id` becomes an entity other pages can reference. Every entry in this glossary emits markup in this shape:

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "DefinedTerm",
  "@id": "https://example.com/glossary/llms-txt",
  "name": "llms.txt",
  "description": "llms.txt is a proposed convention for a Markdown file …",
  "inDefinedTermSet": { "@type": "DefinedTermSet", "name": "Citable glossary" }
}
```

Keep the `description` identical to the visible definition, and keep both self-contained: name the term in the first few words so the sentence still makes sense when quoted alone. The [Schema.org](/glossary/schema-org) entry places the type among its neighbours, and [Structured data for AI answers](/guides/structured-data-for-ai-answers) shows how to generate it from CMS fields.

## Frequently asked questions

### Should a glossary page use DefinedTerm or FAQPage?

Use DefinedTerm for the definition itself and FAQPage only for genuine question-and-answer pairs on the same page. A definition is not an answer to a question, and marking it as one misdescribes it. The two types can coexist: this site emits DefinedTerm for every glossary entry and adds FAQPage when the entry has FAQ items.

## Related guides

- [Structured data for AI answers: the schema.org types that matter](https://citable.wiki/guides/structured-data-for-ai-answers)
- [Modelling content for answer engines in a headless CMS!](https://citable.wiki/guides/modeling-content-for-answer-engines-in-a-headless-cms)

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Source: https://citable.wiki/glossary/defined-term