Meineid

perjury

noun MYN-ayt Rare

Usage Note

Meineid (§ 154 StGB) is making a deliberately false statement under oath; it carries a minimum sentence of one year imprisonment. Witnesses who are uncertain can ask to testify without oath to avoid this risk.

Examples

"Er wurde wegen Meineids zu einem Jahr auf Bewährung verurteilt."

Natural Translation

He was convicted of perjury and given a one-year suspended sentence.

Literal Translation

He was because-of perjury to a year on probation sentenced.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

German Greetings by Region: Grüß Gott to Grüezi

German greetings change by region: say Moin in Hamburg, Grüß Gott in Bavaria, Grüezi in Switzerland. A map of every hello and goodbye, plus du vs. Sie.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Body Parts: Vocabulary + How to Say It Hurts

Learn German body parts with der/die/das and plurals, plus the two ways to say something hurts: Mir tut der Kopf weh and Ich habe Kopfschmerzen.

June 9, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

Der, Die, Das: Rules to Guess German Gender

German noun gender rules made simple: check the suffix first, then meaning. Endings like -ung, -chen, and -ling predict der, die, or das with ~90% accuracy.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Modal Particles: doch, mal, ja, eben

German modal particles doch, mal, ja, and eben add attitude, not meaning. Before/after examples show how to use each one so your German stops sounding stiff.

June 9, 2026 6 min read