plagiarism
n. uncountablen. the act of copying someone else's work or ideas and pretending they are your own. It is a serious mistake in school and at work.
n. the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own. Often involves the failure to provide proper attribution or citation.
The student failed the course because of plagiarism.
The university uses special software to check every essay for plagiarism before it is graded.
While unintentional plagiarism can occur through poor note-taking, the academic community generally treats any failure to cite sources as a significant breach of ethical standards.
From plagiary + -ism.
Uncountable in its abstract sense; can be used as a countable noun when referring to a specific instance or a specific work.
He committed a plagiarism.He committed plagiarism.When referring to the general act or concept, the word is uncountable and does not take an indefinite article.