n. an implicit memory phenomenon in which people mistakenly believe that a current thought or idea is a product of their own creation when, in fact, they have encountered it previously and then forgotten it.

What is cryptomnesia mean?

Medical Definition of cryptomnesia

: the appearance in consciousness of memory images which are not recognized as such but which appear as original creations.

Is cryptomnesia real?

Cryptomnesia is very real. It's a real phenomenon that has been tracked in many replicated, peer-reviewed scientific studies and it's a theory that fits well with our understanding of how memory works (or doesn't work). However, cryptomnesia is not an easy out for plagiarism.