Wordul · all words

noun · 2 syllables · /'fɛl.ən/

FELON

What does "FELON" mean?

A person who has been convicted of a serious crime.

Meanings

  1. Someone found guilty of a felony, a grave criminal offense. As a convicted felon, he lost the right to own a firearm.
  2. A painful, pus-filled infection at the tip of a finger or toe. The doctor lanced the felon on his thumb. technical

Did you know?

  • A 'felon' is not only a convicted criminal but also a throbbing pus-filled infection at the tip of a finger - a separate medical sense the word has carried for centuries.

Word origin

From Medieval Latin 'fello' meaning 'villain or evildoer', via Old French 'felon'; the obscure origin may link to a sense of 'one full of bitterness or venom', which also explains the unrelated-seeming finger-infection sense.

A little poem

One word, two stings the body knows-
a verdict, and an aching thumb that throbs.

couplet

Wordplay

  • The doctor told me I had a felon. I asked which prison; he pointed at my thumb.

What it teaches

A single word can carry two pains at once: one the law inflicts, one the body does.

Quick facts

What does FELON mean?

A person who has been convicted of a serious crime.

Is FELON a valid word?

Yes — FELON is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.

How many letters is FELON?

FELON has 5 letters and 2 syllables.

Where does FELON come from?

From Medieval Latin 'fello' meaning 'villain or evildoer', via Old French 'felon'; the obscure origin may link to a sense of 'one full of bitterness or venom', which also explains the unrelated-seeming finger-infection sense.

What can FELON teach us?

A single word can carry two pains at once: one the law inflicts, one the body does.

How players do

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