Cento

/ˈsɛntoʊ/ noun

Definition

A literary work, especially a poem, made up of passages or verses quoted from other works, usually without the original author being credited.

Etymology

From Latin 'cento' (patchwork), literally a garment made of patches. Romans used this term to describe poems assembled from fragments of famous poets like Virgil. The practice was considered clever wordplay rather than plagiarism in the ancient world.

Kelly Says

Roman poets would create entire epics by stitching together lines from Virgil in new orders—it's like the original remix culture, and people actually admired the cleverness of finding unexpected combinations!

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