plagiarize
verb
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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 plagiarize in a Sentence
Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2024
The song wouldn’t be released until the following year, at which point the rising pop star would be called out for plagiarizing its lyrics from a popular Tumblr post.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2024
Seems dad’s latest Big Book is, in fact, completely plagiarized from a manuscript, long thought destroyed, written by McNeal’s wife, Harlan’s mother, who committed suicide after discovering her husband’s adultery.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2024
The feature appeared to have plagiarized sections of reporting from multiple publications, while barely or inaccurately citing its sources.
—Billy Perrigo/san Francisco, TIME, 5 Sep. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near plagiarize
Cite this Entry
“Plagiarize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plagiarize. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
plagiarize
verb
Legal Definition
plagiarize
verb
Smith v. Little, Brown & Co., 265 F. Supp. 451 (1965)from plagiary plagiarist, from Latin plagiarius, literally, kidnapper, from plagium netting of game, kidnapping, from plaga net
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