per·ju·ry /'pər-jə-rē/ n pl -ries [Anglo-French perjurie parjurie, from Latin perjurium, from perjurus deliberately giving false testimony, from per- detrimental to + jur- jus law]: the act or crime of knowingly making a false statement (as about a material matter) while under oath or bound by an affirmation or other officially prescribed declaration that what one says, writes, or claims is true compare false swearing
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.