Plagiarism is a bad habit without a definition. Many people have an idea of ​​what it is, but its meaning has become so distorted over the years that no one really knows. Plagiarism is the Voldemort in the world of composition and literature; one word and you're blacklisted for cheating. But how can this be? How can the mention of plagiarism be so consequential if no one really knows what it means? This article will not only identify the definition of plagiarism, but will also look at the concept of an original idea and how both relate to each other. The most widely used definition of plagiarism is taking someone else's work and passing it off as your own. According to one website, plagiarism comes from the Latin word meaning "to kidnap" (plagiarism). One article also defines plagiarism as the intentional acquisition of someone else's "original language, idea, or other material (not common knowledge)" without acknowledgment of the source (Definition). Plagiarism is so frowned upon because the education system and companies expect you to be creative, sincere, and do your own research rather than relying on someone else to write it for you, which makes perfect sense. Many students have been expelled from their universities for plagiarizing. A University of Virginia student was participating in the Semester at Sea program when she was accused of plagiarism on an article about their time at sea that linked to a film of their choice. The student copied three sentences word for word from Wikipedia. This student, however, had no idea that she had plagiarized, so when she and her classmates were asked to come forward if they had plagiarized, they did not. This resulted in her expulsion from the program, which she was asked to leave immediately and her expulsion...... middle of paper ......The story of my life." Helen Keller. Np, nd Web . 7 February 2014. Novak, Sophie. "Intertextuality as a literary device". Np, nd Web, 7 February 2014. "Definition of plagiarism". February 2014. "The Columbus Dispatch." Dictionary.com, nd Web. 7 Feb. 2014. .