"Rubbing yourself with a dock leaf gives you relief from pain, and the same could be said for a doxy." What a relief, when she gave you the claps! (Sailor's lament).
In the etymological discussion, however, it seems that a certain change of meaning might be observed. It semms to hit the girls most of the time.
In High German the term Dirne meant a girl in former times, now a prostitute. In the Dialects of Northern Germany, however, (Deern) and Bavaria (Dirndl, diminutive) the original meaning is preserved.
In France the same happened to poor fille, the daughter. To discern a daughter from a woman of a disputable character she is now spoken of as a jeune fille.