Why this word is great
PUCELLE — [Noun] A girl or maiden, often specifically a virgin, historically associated with Joan of Arc; also, in obsolete usage, a prostitute. From Anglo-Norman pucele, Middle French pucele, possibly from a Late Latin *pullicella, of disputed further origin; compare Sicilian pulla. Unlike "virgin" (which broadly denotes chastity) or "maiden" (a more neutral term for an unmarried young woman), "pucelle" is a word split at the root—capable of veneration or vulgarity, depending on the tongue that wields it. It is the white banner of Joan of Arc fluttering against the smoke of battle, the rustle of a courtesan’s skirts in a dim Parisian alley, the way a single syllable can hold both a sword and a sneer—language reminding us that purity and degradation are often two sides of the same coin.