plagiarism
noun
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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
Kayla Jimenez, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025
Meghan Markle is facing another wave of plagiarism claims.
—Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2025
For various examples and further detailed indications bout the nature and use of prompts that might stir plagiarism, see my coverage at the link here and the link here.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Additional services like plagiarism reports and detailed outlines are available.
—Rowan Briggs, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for plagiarism
Cite this Entry
“Plagiarism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plagiarism. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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