definitions

felo-de-se

[ fel-oh-di-see, -sey ]
/ ˈfɛl oʊ dɪˈsi, -ˈseɪ /

noun, plural fe·lo·nes-de-se [fel-uh-neez-di-see, -sey, fuh-loh-neez-] /ˈfɛl əˌniz dɪˈsi, -ˈseɪ, fəˈloʊ niz-/, fe·los-de-se [fel-ohz-di-see, -sey] /ˈfɛl oʊz dɪˈsi, -ˈseɪ/.

a person who commits suicide or commits an unlawful malicious act resulting in his or her own death.
the act of suicide.

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RELATED WORDS

hara-kiri, self-destruction, self-immolation, seppuku

Nearby words

fellowly, fellowman, fellowship, felly, felo de se, felo-de-se, felon, felonious, felonry, felony, felony murder

Origin of felo-de-se

1645–55; < Anglo-Latin, equivalent to felō a felon + dē in respect to, of + sē oneself
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for felo de se

felo de se

/ (ˈfiːləʊ dɪ ˈsiː, ˈfɛləʊ) /

noun plural felones de se (ˈfiːləʊˌniːz dɪ ˈsiː, ˈfɛl-) or felos de se

law
  1. suicide
  2. a person who commits suicide

Word Origin for felo de se

C17: from Anglo-Latin, from felō felon + Latin dē of + sē oneself
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012