felon

Meaning

Adj

1. Of a person or animal, their actions, thoughts, etc.: brutal, cruel, harsh, heartless; also, evil, wicked.
2. Of a place: harsh, savage, wild; of a thing: deadly; harmful.
3. (obsolete) Obtained through a felony; stolen.

Noun

1. A person who has committed a felony (“serious criminal offence”); specifically, one who has been tried and convicted of such a crime.
2. (obsolete) An evil or wicked person; also (by extension) a predatory animal regarded as cruel or wicked.

Noun

A small infected sore; an abscess, a boil; specifically, a whitlow (“infection near or under the cuticle of a fingernail or toenail”).

Synonyms

criminal

whitlow

crook

malefactor

offender

outlaw

culprit

delinquent

lawbreaker

thug

convict

racketeer

scofflaw

thief

transgressor

wrongdoer

desperate criminal

panaris

bagman

panaritium

burglar

cruel

culpable

desperado

felonious

hangnail

hoodlum

intruder

nefarious

old offender

Hyphenated as

fel‧on

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈfɛlən/

Etymology

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”).
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 fellon (adjective, noun)