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.
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RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
placoid, plafond, plagal, plagal cadence, plage, plagiarism, plagiarize, plagiary, plagio-, plagiocephaly, plagioclase
Origin of plagiarism
Related forms
pla·gia·rist, nounpla·gia·ris·tic, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for plagiarism
British Dictionary definitions for plagiarism
plagiarism
/ (ˈpleɪdʒəˌrɪzəm) /
noun
the act of plagiarizing
something plagiarized
Derived Forms
plagiarist, nounplagiaristic, adjectiveCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Culture 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.
Note
Similar theft in music or other arts is also called plagiarism.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.