Felony
/ˈfɛl.ə.ni/noun
A serious crime, especially one punishable by imprisonment for more than a year.
Did you know?In medieval law, felony was tied to the idea of a betrayal of fealty, so the word’s history blends crime with broken loyalty and moral wrongdoing.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰeidh-
“to trust, persuade, or have confidence”
Old French
OF
felonie
“villainy, wickedness, treachery”
Late Latin
LL
*fellonia
“evil, wickedness; treachery”
Middle English
English
felonie
“wickedness, evil deed; serious crime”
Modern English
English
felony
“a major criminal offense”