perjury
PURR-jur-ee
/ˈpɜːrdʒəri/
The offense of willfully telling an untruth in a court after having taken an oath.
Applies strictly to deliberate false statements under sworn legal obligation.
The story behind the word. Formed from Latin 'perjurium', combining 'per-' (wrongly/pervertedly) and 'jurare' (to swear an oath), literally meaning swearing falsely.
Word relationships
- false testimony: False testimony describes the act; perjury is the specific criminal offense.
Commonly confused with
- prevarication: Prevarication means straying from the truth in general, while perjury requires being under formal oath.
Word family
- perjure (verb): To make oneself guilty of perjury by lying under oath.
- perjured (adjective): Involving or characterized by perjury.
Collocations
- commit perjury
- subornation of perjury
- indicted for perjury
Example sentences
- "The key witness was charged with perjury after video evidence directly contradicted her testimony under oath." Trial testimony
Memory hook
PERJURY turns a JURY into a tool for LIES. Lying under oath.
When not to use
Do not use for casual daily lies or exaggerations outside sworn legal contexts.
Fun facts
- Subornation of perjury is the separate crime of persuading someone else to commit perjury in court.
Related words
Also appears in
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