Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

felo-de-se

noun \ ˌfe-lō-də-ˈsā , -ˈsē \
See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

Definition of felo-de-se

plural felones-de-se play \fə-ˌlō-(ˌ)nēz-də-ˈsā, -ˈsē\ or felos-de-se play \ˌfe-lōz-də-ˈsā, -ˈsē\
1 : a person who commits suicide or who dies from the effects of having committed an unlawful malicious act
2 : an act of deliberate self-destruction : suicide

Origin and Etymology of felo-de-se

Medieval Latin felo de se, fello de se, literally, evildoer in respect to oneself

Medical Dictionary

felo-de-se

noun \ ˌfel-ōd-ə-ˈsā, -ˈsē \

medical Definition of felo-de-se

plural felones-de-se play \fə-ˌlō-(ˌ)nēz-də-\ or felos-de-se play \ˌfel-ōz-də-\
1 : one who commits suicide or who dies from the effects of having committed an unlawful malicious act
2 : an act of deliberate self-destruction : suicide

Learn More about felo-de-se

  1. See words that rhyme with felo-de-se

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up felo-de-se? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

arrogate

play

to seize or ascribe

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. embolization 'the process by which a blood vessel or organ is obstructed by a material mass'

  2. oleaginous 'marked by an offensively ingratiating manner or quality'

  3. pansexual 'sexual desire or attraction...not limited to a particular gender identity or sexual orientation'

  4. symbiote 'an organism living in symbiosis'

  5. charlatan 'faker or fraud'

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

felo-de-se

Test Your Vocabulary

May 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

  • spring-flowers
  • Which is a synonym of raillery?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Syn City

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

image250923223
Noun + Verb Insult Generator

A collection of obscure put-downs

alt-5b0834b915e3f
'Judicial' v. 'Judicious': We'll Settle The Case

A judgment call

alt-5b06e60511014
'Deprived' vs. 'Depraved'

Nobody wants to be either.

alt-5b05d8545c817
'Folksonomy': Let’s Get Organized

Tag the way you want to tag.

Ask the Editors

video-ghost-words
Ghost Word

The story of an imaginary word that managed to sneak past our editors and enter the dictionary.

image1760257654
2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

How we chose 'feminism'

video-literally
Literally

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

video-his-or-her
Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

Word Games

spring-flowers
May 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

We’re already at the end of May?!

Take the quiz
image1676440788
Words Used by Nabokov Quiz

How familiar are you with Nabokov’s unfamiliar vocabulary?

Take the quiz
Spell It
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz
Syn City
Syn City

Build a city of skyscrapers—one synonym at a time.

Play the game