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plagiarism

 - 5 dictionary results

pla·gia·rism

[pley-juh-riz-uhm, -jee-uh-riz-]
–noun
1.
the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work.
2.
something used and represented in this manner.

Origin:
1615–25; plagiar(y) + -ism

pla·gia·rist, noun
pla·gia·ris·tic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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World English Dictionary
plagiarism (ˈpleɪdʒəˌrɪzəm) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  the act of plagiarizing
2.  something plagiarized
 
'plagiarist
 
n
 
plagia'ristic
 
adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Word Origin & History

plagiarism
1621, from L. plagiarius "kidnapper, seducer, plunderer," used in the sense of "literary thief" by Martial, from plagium "kidnapping," from plaga "snare, net," from PIE base *p(e)lag- "flat, spread out." Plagiary is attested from 1597.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cultural Dictionary

plagiarism definition


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 American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

plagiarism

the act of taking the writings of another person and passing them off as one's own. The fraudulence is closely related to forgery and piracy-practices generally in violation of copyright laws.

Learn more about plagiarism with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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