felon

English

Etymology

Middle English felun, feloun, from Anglo-Norman felun (“traitor, wretch”), from Old Low Franconian *felo ("wicked person"), from Proto-Germanic *fillô, *filjô (“flayer, whipper, scoundrel”), from Proto-Germanic *faliz, *felaz (“cruel, evil”) (compare English fell (“fierce”), Middle High German vālant (“imp”)), related to *fellanan (compare Dutch villen, German fillen (“to whip, beat”), both from Proto-Indo-European *pelhₐ (“to stir, move, swing”) (compare Old Irish adellaim 'I seek', diellaim 'I yield', Umbrian pelsatu 'to overcome, conquer', Latin pellere (“to drive, beat”), Latvian lijuôs, plītiês (“to force, impose”), Ancient Greek πέλας (pélas, “near”), πίλναμαι (pílnamai, “I approach”), Old Armenian հալածեմ (halacem, “I pursue”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈfɛlən/
• Rhymes: -ɛlən

Noun

felon (plural felons)

1. A person convicted of a felony.

Related terms

• felonious
• felony

Translations

a person convicted of a crime

Czech: zločinec (cs) m. Danish: forbryder (da) c.

German: Verbrecher (de) m., Schwerverbrecher (de) m.

References

• felon in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

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Old French

Etymology

From Frankish, see above

Noun

felon m. (oblique plural felons, nominative singular felons, nominative plural felon)

1. evildoer; wrongdoer

Adjective

felon m. (feminine felone)

1. evil; bad; immoral

Related terms

• felonie