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fel·on¹

(fĕlən)

1. Law One who has committed a felony.

2. Archaic An evil person.

adj.
Archaic

Evil; cruel.

[Middle English feloun, from Old French felon, wicked, a wicked person, from Medieval Latin fellō, fellōn-, possibly of Germanic origin.]

fel·on²

(fĕlən)

A painful purulent infection at the end of a finger or toe in the area surrounding the nail. Also called whitlow.

[Middle English feloun, probably from Latin fel, gall, bile; see ghel-² in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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