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perjury

[pur-juh-ree]
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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.
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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
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. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for perjurious

perjury

noun plural -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
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Derived Formsperjurious (pɜːˈdʒʊərɪəs), adjectiveperjuriously, adverb

Word Origin

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

n.

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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper