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

But the originality of Arday’s dissertation and his other academic work was also coming under scrutiny, leading to multiple allegations of plagiarism. — Roger J. Kreuz, The Conversation, 21 Aug. 2026

Cofnas wrote on his Substack page on July 21 that he had been contacted by a source at Cambridge University about accusations of plagiarism concerning Arday. — Reuters, NBC news, 21 Aug. 2026

Cofnas penned an exposé last month that documented widespread plagiarism and shoddy scholarship in Arday’s work, a black professor hired by Cambridge University with much fanfare in 2023 to conduct research on race and social injustice. — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 21 Aug. 2026

Jason Arday, a neurodivergent Black Cambridge professor who was feted as a wunderkind by some and denigrated as a fabulist by others, resigned earlier this month amidst accusations of plagiarism. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1621, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing plagiarism

• self-plagiarism

Rhymes for plagiarism

• autism
• fascism
• racism
• sikhism
• sophism
• statism
• sufism
• thomism
• tourism
• tropism
• abolitionism
• aldosteronism

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