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
Reagan Priest, The Arizona Republic, 28 May 2024
Additionally, Gay has been accused of plagiarizing some of her scholarship.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2024
Some of the sites were probably circulating RT’s content with the network’s permission, the researchers said, while others had plagiarized RT without its knowledge.
—Steven Lee Myers, New York Times, 30 May 2024
Given years of plagiarizing, lying about his college class rankings and the like, this seems like a fun lie.
—Ron Hart, Orange County Register, 26 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for plagiarize 
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Cite this Entry
“Plagiarize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plagiarize. Accessed 27 Jun. 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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