felon

1 of 2

noun

fel·​on ˈfe-lən 

1

: one who has committed a felony

2

archaic : villain

3

: a painful abscess of the deep tissues of the palmar surface of the fingertip that is typically caused by bacterial infection (as with a staphylococcus) and is marked by swelling and pain compare whitlow sense 1

felon

2 of 2

adjective

1

archaic

a

: cruel

b

: evil

2

archaic : wild

Examples of felon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

He was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. —Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 5 Sep. 2024

The fraudster, who in 2019 was convicted of posing as a German heiress and swindling members of the New York art scene, has parlayed her career as a felon into a popular Netflix show, a podcast, and a burgeoning art career, despite not having any apparent talent whatsoever. —Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2024

Adjective

And despite a ban on felon possession of weapons, law enforcement searches of his Upper Peninsula home on Jan. 19 turned up a Russian SKS rifle, two shotguns, a Glock pistol and more than 100 rounds of ammunition, prosecutors said. —Washington Post, 28 July 2021

One was to turn most of the felon population over to the U.S. government. —Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French felun, fel evildoer, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German fillen to beat, whip, fel skin — more at fell

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

felon

noun

fel·​on

ˈfel-ən

: criminal entry 2

especially : one who has committed a felony

Etymology

Noun

Middle English felon "one who has committed a felony," from early French felon "villain, evildoer," of Germanic origin — related to fell entry 3

Medical Definition

felon

noun

fel·​on

: a painful abscess of the deep tissues of the palmar surface of the fingertip that is typically caused by infection of a bacterium (such as Staphylococcus aureus) and is marked by swelling and pain compare paronychia, whitlow sense 1

Legal Definition

felon

noun

fel·​on ˈfe-lən 

: one who has committed a felony

Etymology

Noun

Anglo-French felon, fel, literally, evildoer, from Old French, probably of Germanic origin