perjure

[pur-jer]

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verb (used with object), per·jured, per·jur·ing.

to render (oneself) guilty of swearing falsely or of willfully making a false statement under oath or solemn affirmation: The witness perjured herself when she denied knowing the defendant.

Origin of perjure

1475–85; < Latin perjūrāre to swear falsely, equivalent to per- through, i.e., beyond the limits (see per-) + jūrāre to swear, literally, to be at law, derivative of jūs jus

Related formsper·jure·ment, nounper·jur·er, nounun·per·jur·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for perjure

lie, equivocate, falsify, mislead, trick, forswear, deceive, prevaricate, delude

Examples from the Web for perjure

Contemporary Examples of perjure

So the question is: did Robson perjure himself in 2005, or is he lying now?
Behind the Michael Jackson Bombshell: How a Staunch Defender Suddenly Flipped
Diane Dimond
May 9, 2013

Historical Examples of perjure

He remembered the young clerk who had wanted to perjure himself for his sake.
The Prisoner
Alice Brown
I thought he was willing to perjure himself because he had an affection for me.
The Prisoner
Alice Brown
Would you ask me to perjure my immortal soul to the world and to my God?
The Martyr of the Catacombs
Anonymous
In Cork you shall be, if I have to perjure my soul to prove it!
Grey Town
Gerald Baldwin
I will not perjure myself at his bidding; but being with him, I will kneel to him unbidden.
Privy Seal
Ford Madox Ford

British Dictionary definitions for perjure

perjure

verb

(tr) criminal law to render (oneself) guilty of perjury

Derived Formsperjurer, noun

Word Origin for perjure

C15: from Old French parjurer, from Latin perjūrāre, from per- + jūrāre to make an oath, from jūs law

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

Word Origin and History for perjure

mid-15c. "swear falsely" (implied in perjured; late 13c. in Anglo-French), from Old French parjurer "to break one's word, renege on a promise" (11c.), from Latin periurare "to swear falsely, break one's oath" (see perjury). Reflexive sense is from 18c.