plagium

See also: plágium

English

Etymology

From Latin plagium (“kidnapping”), compare plagiarism, probably from plaga (“a net, snare, trap”).

Noun

plagium (usually uncountable, plural plagiums)

1. (Scots law) abduction, especially of a child

Usage notes

The Scottish common law offence of Abduction is defined as: “the carrying off or confining of a person forcibly and without lawful authority”.

In addition, a common law offence of child stealing (‘plagium’) can be committed against children below the age of puberty (under 12 years for girls and under 14 years for boys) when the abductor has no parental responsibility for the child.

References

• OED 2nd edition 1989

Latin

Etymology

Probably from or related to plaga (“hunting net”), thus originally meaning "a catching", from Proto-Indo-European *pleḱ- (“to weave”). See also plectō (“I weave”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈpla.ɡi.um/, [ˈpɫ̪äɡiʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈpla.d͡ʒi.um/, [ˈpläːd͡ʒium]

Noun

plagium n (genitive plagiī or plagī); second declension

1. manstealing, kidnapping, the selling of freemen as slaves
   • 3rd century CE, Iulius Paulus, Digesta Iustiniani 40.12:

     lēge Fabiā prohibētur servus, quī plagium admīsit, prō quō dominus poenam intulit, intrā decem annōs manūmittī.

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	plagium	plagia
Genitive	plagiī plagī1	plagiōrum
Dative	plagiō	plagiīs
Accusative	plagium	plagia
Ablative	plagiō	plagiīs
Vocative	plagium	plagia

¹Found in older Latin (until the Augustan Age).

Derived terms

• plagiārius
• plagiātīcius
• plagiātor
• plagiō

Descendants

• Catalan: plagi
• Galician: plaxio
• Italian: plagio
• Portuguese: plágio
• Spanish: plagio
• → Sicilian: plaggiu

References

• plagium in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “plagium”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “plagium”, in William Smith, editor (1854, 1857), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, volume 1 & 2, London: Walton and Maberly
• “plagium”, in Richard Stillwell et al., editor (1976), The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites, Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press