Where does “felon” come from?
Felon derives from Middle English feloun, from Old French felon, from Medieval Latin fello, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰelh₃-, meaning to gall or irritate.
felon (English): A person who has committed a felony; A person who...
Definitions
- A person who has committed a felony; A person who...
Ancestry of “felon”, step by step
felon traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Wood
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Wood | An English topographic surname for someone who lived in or near a wood |
| 2 | English | Frog | Alternative form of frog |
| 3 | Portuguese | froco | flock |
| 4 | Latin | floccus | tuft, wisp of wool |
| 5 | Frankish | flokko | down, wool, flock |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *flukkô | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | plewk- | to fly, flow, run; to splash, to flap with hands |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | plew- | to fly, flow, run |
via Middle English feloun
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | feloun | — |
| 2 | Old French | felon | evildoer; wrongdoer; immoral person; bastard;... |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | fello | I suck; I fellate, perform fellatio, suck off;... |
| 4 | Frankish | fellō | evildoer; wicked person |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | fillô | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | faluz | terrible; cruel; bad |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pol- | to pour, flow, float, fly, swim, flee; to pour,... |