plagiarism
UK: ˈpleɪdʒərɪzəm | US: ˈpleɪdʒərɪzəm
n. the act of using someone else's work or ideas without permission and presenting them as one's own.
n. a piece of writing, music, etc., that has been plagiarized.
The word "plagiarism" traces back to the Latin "plagiarius," meaning "kidnapper" or "literary thief," derived from "plaga" (net or snare). The term was metaphorically extended by the Roman poet Martial in the 1st century AD to accuse others of "kidnapping" his verses. By the 17th century, English adopted "plagiarism" to describe intellectual theft, retaining the original sense of wrongful appropriation. The suffix "-ism" formalizes it as a concept or practice.
The student was expelled for plagiarism after copying an entire essay from the internet.
Academic institutions use software to detect plagiarism in research papers.
The musician faced legal consequences for plagiarism of a copyrighted melody.
Plagiarism undermines credibility and originality in scholarly work.
Proper citation is essential to avoid unintentional plagiarism.