Plagiary Meaning: Definition, Examples, and Translations

📚
Add to dictionary

plagiary

[ˈplædʒəˌrɪzəm ]

Definition

Context #1 | Noun

academic misconduct

Plagiarism is the practice of taking someone else's work, ideas, or intellectual property and presenting them as your own without proper attribution. It is considered a serious ethical violation in academic and professional settings, as it undermines the integrity of the original creator's work.

Synonyms

copying, fraud, theft.

Examples of usage

  • She was expelled for committing plagiarism in her thesis.
  • Citing sources correctly can help avoid allegations of plagiarism.
  • Plagiarism can lead to serious consequences, including legal action.

Translations

To see the translation, please select a language from the options available.

Interesting Facts

Legal Aspects

  • Plagiarism can lead to severe consequences, including academic penalties, legal action, and damage to one's reputation.
  • The laws surrounding plagiarism differ by country, with some places having strict copyright laws to protect original works.
  • In academic settings, plagiarism checks are commonly performed using software to detect copied content.

Education

  • Plagiarism is often addressed in educational institutions through policies and awareness programs that teach students about originality.
  • Many universities offer resources and workshops to help students understand proper citation practices to avoid unintentional plagiarism.
  • Students are encouraged to create original content by conducting research and expressing their own ideas in assignments.

Technology

  • With the rise of the internet, instances of plagiarism have increased, as it's easier to copy information from websites.
  • There are various online tools and software specifically designed to help detect plagiarism in submitted texts.
  • Digital content creation has led to new discussions about what constitutes fair use versus plagiarism in online materials.

Pop Culture

  • Several high-profile cases, including those involving famous authors and musicians, have highlighted plagiarism in the media.
  • In the world of literature and film, being accused of plagiarism can lead to public scandal and diminish the audience's trust.
  • Popular songs and lyrics have periodically faced scrutiny, with many artists being accused of borrowing too heavily from existing works.

Origin of 'plagiary'

Main points about word origin

  • The word 'plagiary' comes from the Latin word 'plagiarius', meaning 'kidnapper' or 'abductor', highlighting the act of taking someone else's work.
  • The term was first used in English in the early 17th century to describe people who stole others' writings.
  • Roman poet Martial used the term to accuse another poet of stealing lines from his work, illustrating that even ancient writers faced plagiarism.

The term 'plagiarism' originates from the Latin word 'plagiarius', meaning 'kidnapper' or 'plunderer'. In ancient Rome, a 'plagiarius' was someone who abducted another person's slave and claimed them as their own. Over time, the definition evolved to encompass the act of taking another's intellectual work or ideas. The use of 'plagiarism' to refer specifically to literary theft emerged in the late 19th century, during a time when the importance of original authorship was increasingly recognized in legal and academic contexts. Today, plagiarism is a significant concern in education, publishing, and online content creation, with many institutions implementing stringent policies to detect and prevent it.