Word of the Day

: May 6, 2010

plagiary

noun PLAY-jee-air-ee

What It Means

1 : one that plagiarizes

2 : plagiarism

plagiary in Context

It’s still unclear if the historian was engaged in deliberate plagiary or was simply sloppy with the citation of his sources.

Did You Know?

"Plagiarius," the Latin source of "plagiary," literally means "kidnapper." "Plagiarius" has its roots in the noun "plagium," meaning both "kidnapping" and "the netting of game," and ultimately in the noun "plaga," meaning "net." The literal sense of "plagiarius" was adopted into English; in the 17th and early 18th century, a kidnapper might be referred to as a "plagiary," and, in the legalese of the time, kidnapping was "plagium." But "plagiarius" also had a couple of figurative meanings -- "seducer" and "literary thief." It is the latter that has made the most enduring contribution to the English language. A "plagiary" could also be one who commits literary theft (now usually referred to as a "plagiarist") or the act or product of such theft (now, more commonly, "plagiarism").