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
Josh Dawsey, Washington Post, 4 July 2024
But in the past few weeks, the company has found itself in hot water amid accusations of plagiarism.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune, 29 June 2024
Many can’t keep up with the SEO changes meant to surface their work, and then there’s the whole A.I. plagiarism aspect looming on the horizon.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 28 June 2024
Former Harvard President Claudine Gay resigned earlier this year following her testimony to the House committee, and an ensuing plagiarism scandal.
—David Goldman, CNN, 26 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for plagiarism 
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.
Dictionary Entries Near plagiarism
Cite this Entry
“Plagiarism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plagiarism. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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