Meaning of felo de se | Babel Free

Definitions

A crime committed against oneself, in particular suicide.

countable, uncountable

Examples

“[H]ow came the King by a povver vvhich the People are afraid to truſt and alvvays obliged to check? Such a povver could not be the gift of a vviſe People, neither can any povver vvhich needs checking be from God: yet the proviſion vvhich the conſtitution makes, ſuppoſes ſuch a povver to exiſt. But the proviſion is unequal to the taſk, the means either cannot, or vvill not accompliſh the end⟳, and the vvhole affair is a Felo de ſe: […]”

“[T]ho' I made ſome occaſional attempts at felo de ſe; but as I did not find⟳ thoſe raſh actions anſvver, I left off killing myſelf very ſoon.”

“The Varlet was not an ill-favoured knave; / A good deal⟳ like⟳ a Vulture in the face⟳ / With a hook nose and a Hawk’s eye which gave / A smart & sharper-looking sort⟳ of grace / To his whole aspect, which though rather grave / Was by no means so ugly as his case, / But that indeed was hopeless as can be— / Quite a poetic felony “de se.”—”

CEFR level