felon
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felon¹
- /ˈfɛlən/ US, UK
Rhymes with -ɛlən
Where it comes from
The adjective is derived from Middle English feloun, felun (“base, wicked; hostile; of an animal: dangerous; of words: angry, harsh, slanderous; of things: dangerous, deadly; false, fraudulent; unlucky”) [and other forms], from Old French felon (“bad, evil, immoral”) (compare fel (“evil; despicable, vile”)), from Early Medieval Latin fellōnem; further etymology uncertain.
Doublet of fell (“of a strong and cruel nature; fierce; grim; ruthless, savage”).
Etymology 1, adjective sense 3 (“obtained through a felony”) is derived from the noun.
The noun is derived from Middle English feloun, felun (“criminal, specifically one who has committed a felony, felon; cruel, hostile, violent, etc., person; deceiver; evildoer, monster, sinner; traitor; bold or fierce warrior; deceit, falseness; wickedness, wrongdoing; treachery”) [and other forms], from feloun, felun (adjective): see above.
Cognates
* Catalan felló (adjective)
* French félon (adjective, noun)
* Italian fellone (adjective, noun)
* Occitan felon, felhon, fellon (adjective)
* Spanish felón (adjective, noun)
adjective
- Of a person or animal, their actions, thoughts, etc.: brutal, cruel, harsh, heartless; also, evil, wicked. For Courteſies, tho' undeſerv'd and great, / No gratitude in Fellon-minds beget, / As tribute to his VVit, the churl receives the treat.
- Of a place: harsh, savage, wild; of a thing: deadly; harmful. He ask'd the VVaves, and ask'd the Fellon vvinds, / VVhat hard miſhap hath doom'd this gentle ſvvain?
- Obtained through a felony; stolen. Thus hee that conquer’d men, and beaſt moſt cruell, / (VVhoſe greedy pavves, vvith fellon goods vvere found) / Anſvver’d Goliah’s challenge in a duell, / And layd the Giant groveling on the ground: […]
noun felons
- A person who has committed a felony (“a serious criminal offence”); specifically, one who has been tried and convicted of such a crime. I doe defie thy coniurations: / And doe attach thee as a fellon heere.
- An evil or wicked person. But he, the King of Heav'n, obſcure on high, / Bar'd his red Arm, and launching from the Sky / His vvrithen Bolt, not ſhaking empty Smoak, / Dovvn to the deep Abyſs the flaming Felon ſtrook.
- A predatory animal regarded as cruel or wicked.
felon²
- /ˈfɛlən/ US, UK
Rhymes with -ɛlən
Where it comes from
From Middle English feloun, felone (“type of carbuncle or sore with pus; swelling on a hawk’s body”), possibly from Old French *felon, from Latin fel (“bile, gall; bitterness; poison; venom”): see etymology 1.
noun felons
- A small infected sore; an abscess, a boil.
- A whitlow (“infection near or under a fingernail or toenail”). He hev been away from home for a few days, since he's had that felon upon his finger; for a' said, since I can't work I'll have a hollerday.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: outlaw, criminal, malefactor, crook, whitlow, lawbreaker, crime, perp, offender, thief, mugger, hooligan, rogue, bully, thug, hoodlum
Translations
Every language
noun person who has committed a felony; one who has been tried and convicted of such a crime
| Español | delincuente, criminal, felón |
|---|---|
| Français | criminel, criminelle, délinquant |
| Deutsch | Straftäter, Straftäterin, Verbrecher, Verbrecherin, Schwerverbrecher, Schwerverbrecherin |
| Italiano | criminale |
| Ελληνικά | εγκληματίας egklimatías, κακοποιός kakopoiós |
| Română | infractor |
| Русский | престу́пник prestúpnik, престу́пница prestúpnica |
| עברית | פּוֹשֵׁעַ poshéa' |
Talk about this word "felon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/felon. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. felon. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/felon "felon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/felon.Cite this
@misc{felon_2026,
title = {felon},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/felon},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
