Definition of FELON

felon

Plural: felons

Noun

  • A person who has committed a serious crime, a felony.
  • someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime
  • a purulent infection at the end of a finger or toe in the area surrounding the nail
  • A person who has committed a felony (“serious criminal offence”); specifically, one who has been tried and convicted of such a crime.
  • An evil or wicked person; also (by extension) a predatory animal regarded as cruel or wicked.
  • A small infected sore; an abscess, a boil; specifically, a whitlow (“infection near or under the cuticle of a fingernail or toenail”).

Adj

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

Examples

  • Playing FELON earned him points, but perhaps some judgmental looks.

Origin / 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)

Scrabble Score: 8

felon: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
felon: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
felon: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 10

felon: valid Words With Friends Word