1250–1300; Middle English fel(o)un “wicked, wicked person, evildoer,” from Old French fel (nominative), felun (oblique) “wicked person, traitor,” from Medieval Latin fellon- , stem of fello “villain, evildoer”; ultimate etymology uncertain
usage note for felon
Once a person is no longer engaged in crime we can say "He's a former criminal." And once a person is no longer incarcerated, we can say "She's an ex-convict." Though both statements carry a stigma, they leave open the possibility that the people in question have changed their behavior. But this does not seem to be the case with the term felon , which appears to have no time limit. Once a person has been convicted of a felony, he or she can be considered a felon for life, according to the strict meaning of the word. (The term ex-felon , for example, is rarely used.) Advocates for the reform of our criminal justice system point out that this usage makes it even harder for rehabilitated former criminals to reintegrate into society and thereby turn away from a life of crime.
Activists have scrambled to help ex-felons pay those penalties and re-enfranchise as many of them as possible.
A crashed voter registration website is Floridians’ latest obstacle to the right to vote|Sara Morrison|October 9, 2020|Vox
In Florida, the Gutting of a Landmark Law Leaves Few Felons Likely to VoteState officials don’t know how many felons are registered or eligible to vote.
Electionland 2020: Florida Felon Voting, Election Websites, DOJ Policies and More|by Rachel Glickhouse, ProPublica, and Joshua Eaton, Lauren Rosenthal and Thy Anh Vo for ProPublica|October 9, 2020|ProPublica
The idea for the pledge came to him as he read coverage of Mike Bloomberg’s effort to pay the debts of former felons in Florida, whom the state had prevented from voting if they owed it money.
The Trailer: What went unsaid in Wednesday's vice-presidential debate|David Weigel|October 8, 2020|Washington Post
She declined to give a current number of people flagged as felons.
In Florida, the Gutting of a Landmark Law Leaves Few Felons Likely to Vote|by Lawrence Mower and Langston Taylor, Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times|October 7, 2020|ProPublica
He also hired a convicted felon to review and collect attorney fees of hundreds of poor defendants in Cumberland County.
Maine Hires Lawyers With Criminal Records to Defend Its Poorest Residents|by Samantha Hogan, The Maine Monitor, with data analysis by Agnel Philip|October 6, 2020|ProPublica
Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX) is a grifter and a wingnut, but is he possibly a felon too?
Ethics Office Sees Evidence Republican Congressman Broke the Law|Ben Jacobs|June 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Burke and Schubert believe that adding to the list of felon profiles could close countless unsolved cases.
Hunting for Long-Gone Serial Killers: Inside the Dead Man Talking Project|Christine Pelisek|March 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A felon or domestic batterer or disturbed person need only find a person with a clean background to buy a weapon for him.
Obama Needs a 'Plan B' on Guns|David Frum|February 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Under that law a felon convicted of violent federal crimes for the third time would be sentenced to life in prison.
Black DNC Delegates Stick With Bill Clinton|Allison Samuels|September 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST
If patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel, then maybe talk radio is the first refuge of felon.
Jack Abramoff on His New Talk Radio Show, Lobbying Reform & More|Lloyd Grove|July 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST
A ‘political’ is not identified with the criminal any more than a debtor is identified with a felon in England.
Russian Life To-day|Right Rev. Herbert Bury
It is the name of a felon—of one under doom of outlawry—whom all men are privileged to slay.
Guy Rivers: A Tale of Georgia|William Gilmore Simms
Constantine, return!Not so: the felon world its fate must bide.
Sketches and Studies in Italy and Greece, Second Series|John Addington Symonds
An' I'll have satisfaction out of him in the felon's dock of a court of law!
Children of the Bush|Henry Lawson
The Attorney-General first proceeded to argue that an allowance of clergy did not make a felon convict a competent witness.
State Trials Vol. 2 (of 2)|Various
British Dictionary definitions for felon (1 of 2)
felon1
/ (ˈfɛlən) /
noun
criminal law(formerly) a person who has committed a felony
obsoletea wicked person
adjective
archaic, orpoeticevil; cruel
Word Origin for felon
C13: from Old French: villain, from Medieval Latin fellō, of uncertain origin
British Dictionary definitions for felon (2 of 2)
felon2
/ (ˈfɛlən) /
noun
a purulent inflammation of the end joint of a finger, sometimes affecting the bone
Word Origin for felon
C12: from Medieval Latin fellō sore, perhaps from Latin fel poison