felony

noun (plural felonies)

• a crime, typically one involving violence, regarded as more serious than a misdemeanor, and usually punishable by imprisonment for more than one year or by death:he pleaded guilty to six felonies an accusation of felony

  The distinction between felonies and misdemeanors usually depends on the penalties or consequences attaching to the crime. In English common law, felony originally comprised those offenses (murder, wounding, arson, rape, and robbery) for which the penalty included forfeiture of land and goods