felon
n. countablen. a person who has been found guilty of a serious crime. In many places, being called this means the crime was more severe than a minor mistake.
n. a person convicted of a serious crime, typically one punishable by imprisonment for more than one year. Often carries significant legal and social consequences, such as the loss of certain civil rights.
The convicted felon served five years in prison.
After his release, the former felon struggled to find a job that did not require a clean criminal record.
The legislation aims to restore voting rights to non-violent felons who have successfully completed their parole and integrated back into their local communities.
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”). Etymology 1 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 felón (adjective, noun)
From Middle English feloun, felone (“type of carbuncle or sore with pus; swelling on a hawk’s body”), possibly from Old French *felon, from Latin fel (“bile, gall; bitterness; poison; venom”): see etymology 1.
Commonly used in legal and journalistic contexts; often preceded by 'convicted' for emphasis.