plagiarism

noun

pla·​gia·​rism ˈplā-jə-ˌri-zəm 

 also  -jē-ə-

1

: an act or instance of plagiarizing

2

: something plagiarized

plagiarist

ˈplā-jə-rist 

 also  -jē-ə

noun

plagiaristic

ˌplā-jə-ˈri-stik 

 also  -jē-ə-

adjective

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Common Misspellings

plagarism, plagerism, plagirism

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The Kidnapping Roots of Plagiarize

If schools wish to impress upon their students how serious an offense plagiarism is, they might start with an explanation of the word’s history. Plagiarize (and plagiarism) comes from the Latin plagiarius “kidnapper.” This word, derived from the Latin plaga (“a net used by hunters to catch game”), extended its meaning in Latin to include a person who stole the words, rather than the children, of another. When plagiarius first entered English in the form plagiary, it kept its original reference to kidnapping, a sense that is now quite obsolete.

Examples of plagiarism in a Sentence

The student has been accused of plagiarism.

Recent Examples on the Web

About his plagiarisms, Handel was unapologetic, saying more or less that those people didn’t know what to do with their stuff. —Jan Swafford, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2024

While the school called it plagiarism, the parents and their lawyer disagree. —Brie Stimson, Fox News, 19 Oct. 2024

These technologies, however, often result in inconsistent writing style, do not always help students avoid plagiarism, and allow the writer to gloss over understanding. —Victoria Livingstone, TIME, 30 Sep. 2024

Miley Cyrus can buy herself flowers — but that won't stop a plagiarism lawsuit. —Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 17 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1621, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing plagiarism

• self-plagiarism

Kids Definition

plagiarism

noun

pla·​gia·​rism ˈplā-jə-ˌriz-əm 

1

: an act of plagiarizing

2

: something plagiarized

plagiarist

-rəst 

noun

plagiaristic

ˌplā-jə-ˈris-tik 

adjective