Joan of Arc /ˌdʒəʊn əv ˈɑːk $ -ˈɑːrk/ (also St Joan)
(1412–31) the patron saint of France. As a young girl, she believed that she heard holy voices telling her to fight the English and force their army to leave France. Dressed as a man, she led a French army which defeated the English at Orléans, and became known as the ‘Maid of Orléans’. Later she was made a prisoner, and a court found her guilty of being a witch (=a woman with evil magic powers), and she was punished by being burned to death.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲