the offence committed by a witness in judicial proceedings who, having been lawfully sworn or having affirmed, wilfully gives false evidence
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
per•ju•ry /ˈpɜrdʒəri/USA pronunciation
n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- Lawthe willful telling of a lie or lies after having sworn under oath not to do so, esp. in a trial or other legal proceeding.
per•ju•ry
(pûr′jə rē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -ries. [Law.]
per•ju•ri•ous
(pər jŏŏr′ē əs),USA pronunciation adj.
per•ju′ri•ous•ly, adv.
per•ju′ri•ous•ness, n.
- Lawthe willful giving of false testimony under oath or affirmation, before a competent tribunal, upon a point material to a legal inquiry.
- Latin as above
- Old French
- Latin perjūrium, equivalent. to perjūr(us) swearing falsely (see perjure) + -ium -ium; replacing parjure
- Anglo-French
- 1250–1300; Middle English perjurie
per•ju′ri•ous•ness, n.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'perjury' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):