What does "pucelle" mean?

A girl, a maiden; a virgin (often with reference to Joan of Arc).

What is a synonym for "pucelle"?

Common synonyms include: broad, beau, bird, chick, courtesan, creature of the night.

//pʊˈsɛl// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Noun

1
A girl, a maiden; a virgin (often with reference to Joan of Arc). archaic
"But what's that Puzell whom they tearme so pure?"
2
A prostitute, a slut. obsolete

"But what's that Puzell whom they tearme so pure?"

From Anglo-Norman pucele, Middle French pucele, perhaps from a Late Latin *pullicella, but the further etymology is disputed. Compare Sicilian pulla.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.