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plagiarism

PLAY-juh-riz-um /ˈpleɪdʒərɪzəm/

nounC1GRETOEFLIELTS

academicformal

The practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own.

It's a serious academic and ethical offense, encompassing direct copying, paraphrasing without attribution, or submitting another's work as original.

The story behind the word. The word 'plagiarism' comes from the Latin 'plagiarius,' which originally meant 'kidnapper' or 'abductor.' This, in turn, derived from 'plagium,' meaning 'a kidnapping.' The Roman poet Martial (1st century AD) was the first to use 'plagiarius' in the sense of 'literary thief,' complaining that another poet was 'kidnapping' his verses. So, when you plagiarize, you are essentially 'kidnapping' someone else's intellectual property.

Word relationships

piracy: The unauthorized use or reproduction of another's work, often referring to copyrighted material like software or music.
theft: The action or crime of stealing, broader than plagiarism.
infringement: The action of breaking the terms of a law, agreement, etc.; violation.

originality: The ability to think independently and creatively.
attribution: The action of regarding something as being caused by a person or thing.

Commonly confused with

citation: A 'citation' is the act of giving credit, while 'plagiarism' is the act of failing to give credit and claiming another's work as your own.

Word family

plagiarize (verb): to take (the work or an idea of someone else) and pass it off as one's own
plagiarist (noun): a person who plagiarizes

Collocations

academic plagiarism
self-plagiarism
avoid plagiarism
detect plagiarism
accusation of plagiarism

Example sentences

"The university has a zero-tolerance policy for plagiarism, which can result in expulsion." A university's strict policy.
"The author faced accusations of plagiarism after several passages in his new book were found to be identical to an earlier, obscure work." An author accused of wrongdoing.

Memory hook

It's a 'PLAGUE' to steal someone's 'ISM' (idea or work). Kidnapping Ideas

When not to use

Do not use 'plagiarism' for merely being inspired by someone's work or for using common knowledge. It specifically refers to the act of presenting another's original work or ideas as your own without proper credit.

Fun facts

The original Latin meaning of 'plagiarius' as 'kidnapper' highlights the severity of intellectual theft.