perjury

[ pur-juh-ree ]

/ ˈpɜr dʒə ri /

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noun, plural per·ju·ries. Law.

the willful giving of false testimony under oath or affirmation, before a competent tribunal, upon a point material to a legal inquiry.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

perjure, perjured, perjuredly, perjurious, perjuriously, perjury, perk, perk up, perkin, perkin's mauve, perkin, sir william henry

Origin of perjury

1250–1300; Middle English perjurie < Anglo-French < Latin perjūrium, equivalent to perjūr(us) swearing falsely (see perjure) + -ium -ium; replacing parjure < Old French < Latin as above

Related formsper·ju·ri·ous

[per-joo r-ee-uh s] /pərˈdʒʊər i əs/, adjectiveper·ju·ri·ous·ly, adverbper·ju·ri·ous·ness, nounnon·per·ju·ry, noun, plural non·per·ju·ries.

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

British Dictionary definitions for perjurious

perjury

/ (ˈpɜːdʒərɪ) /

noun plural -juries

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

Derived Formsperjurious (pɜːˈdʒʊərɪəs), adjectiveperjuriously, adverb

Word Origin for perjury

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

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 perjurious

perjury

late 14c., "act of swearing to a statement known to be false," via Anglo-French perjurie (late 13c.) and Old French parjurée "perjury, false witness," both from Latin periurium "a false oath," from periurare "swear falsely," from per- "away, entirely" (see per) + iurare "to swear" (see jury (n.)). Related: Perjurious.