< information science > An element of a search or query. A search term is the basic building block of a boolean search or a weighted search . In a search engine a search term is typically a word, phrase, or pattern match expression. For example: cosmonaut or "space travel" or astronaut*
In a database a term is typically the comparison of a column with a constant or with another column. For example: last_name like 'Smith%'
(1999-08-27)