puzzel
English
Alternative forms
- pusle, pussel
Etymology
Probably from French pucelle (“a virgin”). Possibly due to English propaganda against Joan of Arc who was also known as La Pucelle ("The Virgin; The Maid").[1] Possibly influenced by English pizzle (“penis”).
Noun
puzzel (plural puzzels)
- (obsolete) A harlot; a hussy.
- c. 1591, Shakespeare, William, Henry VI, Part 1, Act 1, Scene 4:
- Pucelle or puzzel, Dolphin or dogfish, / Your hearts I'll stamp out with my horse's heels
-
Synonyms
- See Thesaurus:promiscuous woman
References
- Findlay, Alison (2010) Women in Shakespeare, Bloomsbury, →ISBN, pages 333–334
Anagrams
- puzzle
Dutch
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈpʏ.zəl/, /ˈpy.zəl/
Audio (file) Audio (file) - Hyphenation: puz‧zel
Etymology 1
Borrowed from English puzzle.
Noun
puzzel f (plural puzzels, diminutive puzzeltje n)
- puzzle (game in which things must be put together)
- (figuratively) riddle, intellectual challenge
Derived terms
- kruiswoordpuzzel
- legpuzzel
- puzzelaar
- puzzelboek
- puzzelen
- puzzelwoordenboek
Descendants
- → Papiamentu: pùzel, peuzel
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
puzzel
- first-person singular present indicative of puzzelen
- imperative of puzzelen