Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1815-1871, 1964
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0]
PLAGIUM, n. Sc. Law: the offence of child-stealing or kidnapping, a borrowing from Roman Law where it included the stealing of another's slave(s) (Sc. 1946 A. D. Gibb Legal Terms 65). [′pledʒ(i)ʌm]Sc. 1815 Scott Guy M. lvi.:
It is plagium, and plagium is felony.Sc. 1855 Justiciary Reports 234:
That species of Theft called Man-stealing or Plagium.Sc. 1871 Erskine Institute iv. iv. § 61. note e:
Plagium, or the stealing of a human being, is a highly aggravated kind of theft. The object of it must be under puberty; but it may be committed without violence or desire of gain.Sc. 1964 Sc. Daily Express (28 Aug.):
A 40 Year-old man was flown from London yesterday to appear on petition at Linlithgow Sheriff Court on a charge of plagium (stealing a baby).
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Plagium n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 6 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/plagium>
