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

The presidents of Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania resigned amid backlash from their testimony during a heated congressional hearing on antisemitism at college campuses in December; Harvard’s president had also faced plagiarism accusations around the same time. —Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 21 May 2024

The unusually public and hostile feud — which has included allegations of plagiarism, chart rigging and shamanism — has led to hundreds of millions of dollars being wiped off Hybe’s market value. —Jin Yu Young, New York Times, 12 May 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