self-plagiarism

noun

self-pla·gia·rism ˌself-ˈplā-jə-ˌri-zəm

also -jē-ə-

plural self-plagiarisms

: the reuse of one's own words, ideas, or artistic expression (as in an essay) from preexisting material especially without acknowledgment of their earlier use

Borrowing your own words is a tricky issue. … Writers and publishers tend to rank self-plagiarism as a lesser offense than—what should we call it?—"real" plagiarism? Still, they mostly agree it's a no-no.—

Taylor Wofford

Word History

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of self-plagiarism was in 1833

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Self-plagiarism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-plagiarism. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

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