perjure
Meaning
To tell a lie in a court of law after promising to tell the truth.
Structure
Usage
The witness was charged after he chose to perjure himself on the stand.
It is a serious crime to perjure oneself during a judicial proceeding.
She refused to perjure herself, even under immense pressure from the defendants.
Etymology
The word "perjure" originates from the Latin perjurare, meaning "to swear falsely." It is a compound of the prefix per-, used here in its negative sense of "to ill effect" or "to destruction," and the verb jurare, "to swear." Thus, the literal construction is "to swear to ill effect" or "to swear destructively," specifically referring to the violation of a legal oath. This concept passed through Anglo-Norman and into Middle English, retaining its precise legal meaning of willfully giving false testimony under oath. The modern definition remains tightly bound to this original logic of corrupting the solemn act of swearing to tell the truth.
Analysis
- per: A Latin preposition meaning "through, thoroughly, to ill effect, wrongly." In this word, it functions as an intensifying prefix with a negative or destructive sense. - jure: From Latin iurare, meaning "to swear, to take an oath," derived from ius (law, right). It functions as the core root conveying the sense of swearing an oath.