Where does “felony” come from?
felony (Middle English) comes from Old French felonie, from Old French felon, from Medieval Latin fello, from Frankish fellō, from Proto-Germanic fillô, from Proto-Germanic faluz, from Proto-Indo-European pol- — to pour, flow, float, fly, swim, flee; to pour,...
Ancestry of “felony”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | felonie | evil; immoral acts or deeds |
| 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,... |