Part 4237

<blockquote>O thievish Night, Why should'st thou, but for some <b>felonious</b> end, In thy dark lantern thus close up the stars? <i>Milton.</i></blockquote>

-- <wordforms><wf>Fe*lo"ni-ous-ly</wf>, <tt>adv.</tt> -- <wf>Fe*lo"ni-ous*ness</wf>, <tt>n.</tt></wordforms>

<h1>Felonous</h1> <Xpage=551>

<hw>Fel"o*nous</hw> <tt>(?)</tt>, <tt>a.</tt> <ety>[Cf. OF. <ets>feloneus</ets>. Cf. <er>Felonious</er>.]</ety> <def>Wicked; felonious.</def> <mark>[Obs.]</mark>

<i>Spenser.</i>

<h1>Felonry</h1> <Xpage=551>

<hw>Fel"on*ry</hw> <tt>(?)</tt>, <tt>n.</tt> <def>A body of felons; specifically, the convict population of a penal colony.</def>

<i>Howitt.</i>

<h1>Felonwort</h1> <Xpage=551>

<hw>Fel"on*wort`</hw> <tt>(?)</tt>, <tt>n.</tt> <fld>(Bot.)</fld> <def>The bittersweet nightshade (<spn>Solanum Dulcamara</spn>). See <er>Bittersweet</er>.</def>

<h1>Felony</h1> <Xpage=551>

<hw>Fel"o*ny</hw> <tt>(?)</tt>, <tt>n.</tt>; <plu>pl. <plw>Felonies</plw> <tt>(#)</tt></plu>. <ety>[OE. <ets>felonie</ets> cruelty, OF. <ets>felonie</ets>, F. <ets>f\'82lonie</ets> treachery, malice. See <er>Felon</er>, <tt>n.</tt>]</ety> <p><b>1.</b> <fld>(Feudal Law)</fld> <def>An act on the part of the vassal which cost him his fee by forfeiture.</def>

<i>Burrill.</i>

<p><b>2.</b> <fld>(O.Eng.Law)</fld> <def>An offense which occasions a total forfeiture either lands or goods, or both, at the common law, and to which capital or other punishment may be added, according to the degree of guilt.</def>

<p><b>3.</b> <def>A heinous crime; especially, a crime punishable by death or imprisonment.</def>

<note>&hand; Forfeiture for crime having been generally abolished in the United States, the term <i>felony</i>, in American law, has lost this point of distinction; and its meaning, where not fixed by statute, is somewhat vague and undefined; generally, however, it is used to denote an offense of a high grade, punishable either capitally or by a term of imprisonment. In Massachusetts, by statute, any crime punishable by death or imprisonment in the state prison, and no other, is a <i>felony</i>; so in New York. the tendency now is to obliterate the distinction between felonies and misdemeanors; and this has been done partially in England, and completely in some of the States of the Union. The distinction is purely arbitrary, and its entire abolition is only a question of time.</note>

<note>&hand; There is no lawyer who would undertake to tell what a <i>felony</i> is, otherwise than by enumerating the various kinds of offenses which are so called. originally, the word <i>felony</i> had a meaning: it denoted all offenses the penalty of which included forfeiture of goods; but subsequent acts of Parliament have declared various offenses to be felonies, without enjoining that penalty, and have taken away the penalty from others, which continue, nevertheless, to be called <i>felonies</i>, insomuch that the acts so called have now no property whatever in common, save that of being unlawful and purnishable.</note>

<i>J. S. Mill.</i>

<h1>To compound a felony</h1> <Xpage=551>

<hw>To compound a felony</hw><def>. See under <er>Compound</er>, <i>v. t.</i></def>

<h1>Felsite</h1> <Xpage=551>

<hw>Fel"site</hw> <tt>(?)</tt>, <tt>n.</tt> <ety>[Cf. <er>Feldspar</er>.]</ety> <fld>(Min.)</fld> <def>A finegrained rock, flintlike in fracture, consisting essentially of orthoclase feldspar with occasional grains of quartz.</def>

<h1>Felsitic</h1> <Xpage=551>

<hw>Fel*sit"ic</hw> <tt>(?)</tt>, <tt>a.</tt> <def>relating to, composed of, or containing, felsite.</def>

<h1>Felspar, Felspath</h1> <Xpage=551>

<hw><hw>Fel"spar`</hw> <tt>(?)</tt>, <hw>Fel"spath`</hw> <tt>(?)</tt><hw>, <tt>n.</tt> <fld>(Min.)</fld> <def>See <er>Feldspar</er>.</def>

<h1>Felspathic</h1> <Xpage=551>

<hw>Fel*spath"ic</hw> <tt>(?)</tt>, <tt>a.</tt> <def>See <er>Feldspathic</er>.</def>