plagiarism
[ pley-juh-riz-uh m, -jee-uh-riz- ]
/ ˈpleɪ dʒəˌrɪz əm, -dʒi əˌrɪz- /
noun
an act or instance of using or closely imitating the language and thoughts of another author without authorization and the representation of that author's work as one's own, as by not crediting the original author: It is said that he plagiarized Thoreau's plagiarism of a line written by Montaigne.
a piece of writing or other work reflecting such unauthorized use or imitation: “These two manuscripts are clearly plagiarisms,” the editor said, tossing them angrily on the floor.
Origin of plagiarism
First recorded in 1615–25;
plagiar(y) +
-ism
OTHER WORDS FROM plagiarism
pla·gia·rist, noun pla·gia·ris·tic, adjectiveWords nearby plagiarism
placoid,
plafond,
plagal,
plagal cadence,
plage,
plagiarism,
plagiarize,
plagiary,
plagio-,
plagiocephaly,
plagioclase
Example sentences from the Web for plagiarism
British Dictionary definitions for plagiarism
plagiarism
/ (ˈpleɪdʒəˌrɪzəm) /
noun
the act of plagiarizing
something plagiarized
Derived forms of plagiarism
plagiarist, noun plagiaristic, adjectiveCultural definitions for plagiarism
plagiarism
Literary theft. Plagiarism occurs when a writer duplicates another writer's language or ideas and then calls the work his or her own. Copyright laws protect writers' words as their legal property. To avoid the charge of plagiarism, writers take care to credit those from whom they borrow and quote.
notes for plagiarism
Similar theft in music or other arts is also called plagiarism.