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perjury

[ pur-juh-ree ]
/ ˈpɜr dʒə ri /
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See synonyms for: perjury / perjurious on Thesaurus.com
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.
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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

OTHER WORDS FROM perjury

per·ju·ri·ous [per-joor-ee-uhs], /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. 2023

Words related to perjury

deception, dishonesty, falsehood, falsification, deceitfulness, untruth, untruthfulness

British Dictionary definitions for perjury

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 forms of perjury

perjurious (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
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