perjury

[ pur-juh-ree ]
See synonyms for: perjuryperjurious on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural per·ju·ries.Law.
  1. the willful giving of false testimony under oath or affirmation, before a competent tribunal, upon a point material to a legal inquiry.

Origin of perjury

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English perjurie, from Anglo-French, from Latin perjūrium, from perjūr(us) “swearing falsely” (see perjure) + -ium -ium; replacing parjure, from Old French, from Latin, as above

Other words from perjury

  • per·ju·ri·ous [per-joor-ee-uhs], /pərˈdʒʊər i əs/, adjective
  • per·ju·ri·ous·ly, adverb
  • per·ju·ri·ous·ness, noun
  • non·per·ju·ry, noun, plural non·per·ju·ries.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for perjury

perjury

/ (ˈpɜːdʒərɪ) /


nounplural -juries
  1. criminal law the offence committed by a witness in judicial proceedings who, having been lawfully sworn or having affirmed, wilfully gives false evidence

Origin of perjury

1
C14: from Anglo-French parjurie, from Latin perjūrium a false oath; see perjure

Derived forms of perjury

  • perjurious (pɜːˈdʒʊərɪəs), adjective
  • perjuriously, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012