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
Vimal Patel, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2025
Following the initial claims that surfaced in October 2023, other allegations of plagiarism were made against Gay in subsequent weeks.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 16 Apr. 2025
She was later accused of plagiarism in various papers.
—Lauren Irwin, The Hill, 16 Apr. 2025
No signs of plagiarism or AI were spotted in the output.
—Rowan Briggs, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 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 5 May. 2025.
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