Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc

3 4.3
A young French woman who leads soldiers against the English and later becomes a saint
  • proper noun
translation icon : Juana de Arco
  • Historically, Joan of Arc is celebrated as a national heroine of France.
  • Joan of Arc

Examples

  • Alluding to the struggles of Boadicea, Joan of Arc, Florence Nightingale, and Jenny Lind, the columnist stated that it took them "some years before they could get their claims understood, much more recognized."

    Academic text (2004)

  • Joan of Arc led the French forces to victory at Orleans during the Hundred Years' War.

  • The story of Joan of Arc inspires many for her courage and faith in her visions.

Synonyms

Jeanne d'Arc
vsJoan of Arc
8.3

A young French woman who led soldiers against the English in the 1400s and later became a saint

highlights later canonization and sainthood rather than her execution
Saint Joan
vsJoan of Arc
6.8

A French woman who led soldiers against the English and helped make Charles VII king before being executed for heresy

focuses on religious visions and later canonization rather than political deeds

Surface Forms

Joan of Arc main

Morphology

Joan + of + Arc

This is a proper name referring to a specific historical person; the literal constituents 'Joan', 'of', and 'Arc' do not encode her biography or role. Proper names are arbitrary labels that require cultural or historical knowledge, so a B1 learner who only knows the constituent words would not be able to derive the meaning.

Etymology

Joan of Arc comes from a young French girl who said she heard voices from saints and put on armor to lead soldiers into battle. Because she showed great bravery and strong belief and was later made a 'saint', her name is now a symbol of 'courage and faith'.