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
David Enrich, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Allegations of plagiarism were leveled at the Wachowskis for lifting bits and pieces of The Matrix from varying sources.
—Jordan Runtagh, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024
Her allegations of plagiarism led an Iranian court to open preliminary trial proceedings in March 2022.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 13 Mar. 2024
Journal editors will review studies for plagiarism and for copy edits before they’re published.
—Evan Bush, NBC News, 14 Feb. 2024
Some were troubled by the resignation of Claudine Gay as president amid criticism of her responses to questions about antisemitism on campus and plagiarism allegations.
—Susan Svrluga, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2024
What’s next Content ownership, plagiarism and false or misleading information are among the current challenges for implementing AI in education.
—Sabrina Habib, The Conversation, 1 Feb. 2024
Though the crisis at Harvard University began with questions concerning the prevalence of antisemitism and ended with charges of plagiarism against its president, Claudine Gay—who then resigned—for many of Gay’s opponents, D.E.I. initiatives appear to have been the main target.
—Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, The New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2024
Even within those contexts, a politician can get in trouble for plagiarism or its close cousins in speeches and books.
—Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 20 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'plagiarism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
1621, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing plagiarism
Dictionary Entries Near plagiarism
Cite this Entry
“Plagiarism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plagiarism. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
More from Merriam-Webster on plagiarism
Nglish: Translation of plagiarism for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of plagiarism for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about plagiarism
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