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felon

felon

1 9.8
A painful infection near the nail at the end of a finger or toe with pus
  • noun
  • /ˈfɛlən/
  • Specialized
: panadizo
  • She went to the clinic to treat a felon that had formed near her nail, causing a lot of discomfort.

Examples

  • I got a felon in front of me, a fool in the family... and a giant nymphomaniac on the roof.

  • I thought it looked as though a freshly printed felon had taken my wrist in the middle of a booking.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • A felon.

  • Google wants to autocorrect it to "whitlow," which is an infection of the tip of the finger (also known, amusingly, as a "felon")... but your post isn't about your painful fingertips.

    Blog text (20)
  • After cutting my finger, I developed a painful felon that made it difficult to type.

  • The doctor explained that a felon is an infection around the fingertip that can cause significant swelling.

Synonyms

furuncle
vsfelon
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A painful swollen lump on the skin around a hair that is filled with pus

occurs at the fingertip soft tissue near the nail not in hair follicles
paronychia
vsfelon
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A skin infection around a fingernail or toenail that causes redness, swelling, and pain

involves a pus filled pocket at the fingertip rather than simple inflammation
whitlow
vsfelon
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A painful, pus-filled swelling at the end of a finger or toe

is the same condition but named with an alternate term

Surface Forms

felon singular
felons plural

Etymology

Felon for the finger infection comes from an old word for a painful 'boil' or swelling at the fingertip. That's why a felon means a painful, pus-filled infection near the nail.