quill

[kwil]

noun

1. one of the large feathers of the wing or tail of a bird.

2. the hard, hollow, basal part of a feather.

3. a feather, as of a goose, formed into a pen for writing.

4. one of the hollow spines on a porcupine or hedgehog.

5. a plectrum of a harpsichord.

6. a roll of bark, as of cinnamon, formed in drying.

7. a reed or other hollow stem on which yarn is wound.

8. a bobbin or spool.

9. a toothpick.

10. Machinery.

    1. a hollow shaft or sleeve through which another independently rotating shaft may pass.

    2. a shaft, joined to and supported by two other shafts or machines, for transmitting motion from one to the other.

    3. a rotating toolholder used in boring or facing internal angles.

11. a musical pipe, especially one made from a hollow reed.

verb (used with object)

1. Textiles.

   1. to arrange (fabric) in flutes or cylindrical ridges, as along the edge of a garment, hem, etc.

   2. to wind on a quill, as yarn.

2. to penetrate with, or as if with, a quill or quills.

3. to extract a quill or quills from.

   to quill a duck before cooking it.

quill

/ kwɪl /

noun

1. 1. any of the large stiff feathers of the wing or tail of a bird

   2. the long hollow central part of a bird's feather; calamus

2. a bird's feather made into a pen for writing

3. any of the stiff hollow spines of a porcupine or hedgehog

4. a device, formerly usually made from a crow quill, for plucking a harpsichord string

5. angling a length of feather barb stripped of barbules and used for the body of some artificial flies

6. a small roll of bark, esp one of dried cinnamon

7. (in weaving) a bobbin or spindle

8. a fluted fold, as in a ruff

9. a hollow shaft that rotates upon an inner spindle or concentrically about an internal shaft

verb

1. to wind (thread, yarn, etc) onto a spool or bobbin

2. to make or press fluted folds in (a ruff)

quill

1. The hollow shaft of a feather, the bottom of which attaches to the bird's skin.

2. One of the sharp hollow spines of a porcupine or hedgehog.

Other Word Forms

• quill-like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of quill¹

1375–1425; late Middle English quil; compare Low German quiele, German Kiel

Word History and Origins

Origin of quill¹

C15 (in the sense: hollow reed or pipe): of uncertain origin; compare Middle Low German quiele quill

Example Sentences

Each one is hand-plucked, which means you may spot a few black quills here and there; the company insists they’re harmless, and they disappear once cooked.

Read more on Salon

Once the candle was lit, Penelope would take out a sheet of this paper, a quill pen with a bent but usable nib, and some ink.

Read more on Literature

Resignedly, she dipped a quill pen into the inkwell.

Read more on Literature

How did the shabby offices of the late 1700s, with their dim lights, coal-burning fireplaces and quill pens, evolve into the sleek, high-tech work environments that we know today?

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Amid the fresh scholarship of recent years—the microanalysis of quill strokes, the algorithmic scrutiny of syntax—Mr. Swift’s contribution, and it’s a valuable one, is to tell the story of a building.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal