felon1

[fel-uh n] /ˈfɛl ən/
noun
1.
Law. a person who has committed a felony.
2.
Archaic. a wicked person.
adjective
3.
Archaic. wicked; malicious; treacherous.
Origin
1250-1300; Middle English fel(o)un wicked < Anglo-French; Old French fel (nominative), felun (oblique) wicked person, traitor, perhaps < Old Low Franconian *fillo, noun corresponding to Old Saxon fillian to ill-treat, whip, Middle Dutch villen to flay, Old High German fillen to beat, whip; cf. fell3

felon2

[fel-uh n] /ˈfɛl ən/
noun
1.
an acute and painful inflammation of the deeper tissues of a finger or toe, usually near the nail: a form of whitlow.
Origin
1375-1425; late Middle English felo(u)n < Medieval Latin fellōn- (stem of fellō) scrofulous tumor, of uncertain origin
Examples from the web for felon
  • My best friend turned out to be a felon later in life.
  • The two-time convicted felon stole the name, foes say.
  • Piazza also was charged with possession of firearms by a convicted felon.
  • He's picked up temporary and day-labor work, but has not landed a steady job due to the rough economy and his ex-felon status.
  • The notorious former lobbyist and convicted felon is on a well-received rehabilitation tour.
  • The cops found a gun and the suspect ultimately was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
  • He cultivates dope in mineral-water solutions-he's a hydroponic felon-and his weed packs a wallop.
  • It will leave him a felon, facing a strong likelihood of prison.
British Dictionary definitions for felon

felon1

/ˈfɛlən/
noun
1.
(criminal law) (formerly) a person who has committed a felony
2.
(obsolete) a wicked person
adjective
3.
(archaic or poetic) evil; cruel
Word Origin
C13: from Old French: villain, from Medieval Latin fellō, of uncertain origin

felon2

/ˈfɛlən/
noun
1.
a purulent inflammation of the end joint of a finger, sometimes affecting the bone
Word Origin
C12: from Medieval Latin fellō sore, perhaps from Latin fel poison
Word Origin and History for felon
n.

late 13c., from Old French felon "evil-doer, scoundrel, traitor, rebel, the Devil" (9c.), from Medieval Latin fellonem (nominative fello) "evil-doer," of uncertain origin, perhaps from Frankish *fillo, *filljo "person who whips or beats, scourger" (cf. Old High German fillen "to whip"); or from Latin fel "gall, poison," on the notion of "one full of bitterness."

Another theory (advanced by Professor R. Atkinson of Dublin) traces it to Latin fellare "to suck" (see fecund), which had an obscene secondary meaning in classical Latin (well-known to readers of Martial and Catullus), which would make a felon etymologically a "cock-sucker." OED inclines toward the "gall" explanation, but finds Atkinson's "most plausible" of the others.

felon in Medicine

felon fel·on (fěl'ən)
n.
A purulent infection or abscess involving the bulbous distal end of a finger. Also called whitlow.