Joan

Etymology
A clipped or hypochoristic form of, from , from , from , the feminized form of which produced  and its many doublets. As a placeholder name, cf. similar use of and. .

Proper noun

 * , a feminine form of John.

Usage notes

 * Joan was the usual feminine form of John in the Middle Ages. It was superseded by Jane in the 17th century, but was again very popular during the first half of the 20th century.

Noun

 * 1) * 1598,, , 1st Quarto, Act III, Scene i:
 * Ber. O and I forsoth in loue, I that haue been loues whip?... Well, I will loue, write, sigh, pray, shue, grone, Some men must loue my Ladie, and some Ione.
 * 1) * 1611,, "Vpon Englishe Prouerbs", Scourge of Folly, §386:
 * &lsquo;Ioan in the darke is as good as my lady:&rsquo; Nay, perhapps better, such ladies there may bee.
 * 1)  A kind of close-fitting cap for women popular in the mid-.
 * &lsquo;Ioan in the darke is as good as my lady:&rsquo; Nay, perhapps better, such ladies there may bee.
 * 1)  A kind of close-fitting cap for women popular in the mid-.
 * 1)  A kind of close-fitting cap for women popular in the mid-.
 * 1)  A kind of close-fitting cap for women popular in the mid-.
 * 1)  A kind of close-fitting cap for women popular in the mid-.

Usage notes

 * Despite being a common noun, the word is still treated as a name and capitalized as such. In the 16th and 17th centuries, often with implications of plain appearance but sexual availability. In the 18th and 19th centuries, often with implication of rusticness.

Etymology
, from, from.

Proper noun

 * 1)  John
 * 2)  John book of the Bible
 * 1)  John book of the Bible

Proper noun

 * 1)  borrowed from English, popular in the 1950s and the 1960s

Etymology
From, from , from.