quill

[ kwil ]

/ kwɪl /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for quill on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

the hard, hollow, basal part of a feather.

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

one of the hollow spines on a porcupine or hedgehog.

a plectrum of a harpsichord.

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

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

a bobbin or spool.

a toothpick.

Machinery.

a hollow shaft or sleeve through which another independently rotating shaft may pass.
a shaft, joined to and supported by two other shafts or machines, for transmitting motion from one to the other.
a rotating toolholder used in boring or facing internal angles.

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

verb (used with object)

Textiles.

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

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

to extract a quill or quills from: to quill a duck before cooking it.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of quill

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

OTHER WORDS FROM quill

quill-like, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH quill

quail, quell, quill

Words nearby quill

quiet sun, quietude, quietus, quiff, Quileute, quill, quillai, quillai bark, quillback, quill driver, quilled

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use quill in a sentence

Then the fisher neatly skins the prickly prey, eating most everything except the quills and bones.
Tree-climbing carnivores called fishers are back in Washington’s forests|Brianna Randall|October 7, 2022|Science News
This is the first time that such a structure, which looks like the barb of a feather fanning off the central quill, has been spotted in the Milky Way.
Astronomers have found the Milky Way’s first known ‘feather’|Lisa Grossman|November 23, 2021|Science News
Pad & Quill just unveiled its new leather AirTag case known as The Jimmy.
Pad & Quill unveils new discreet American leather AirTag keychain case at 15% off|noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)|September 30, 2021|TechCrunch
The rumor that porcupines can shoot or throw their quills at aggressors is only a legend, but there’s no need to test that out for yourself.
How to not get pricked by a North American porcupine|Natalie Wallington|September 17, 2021|Popular-Science

When threatened, porcupines release a strong odor meant to warn predators that quills are about to be deployed.
How to not get pricked by a North American porcupine|Natalie Wallington|September 17, 2021|Popular-Science
Guardians centers on Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), an intergalactic smuggler who swipes an orb.
‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Filmmaker James Gunn on His Glorious Space Opera and Rise to the A-List|Marlow Stern|August 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The second feature involves a quill and inkwell that will also be featured on the front of the note.
All About the Benjamins: Here’s the Redesigned $100 Bill|Daniel Gross|October 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“Both the quill and the inkwell are copper until you move the note,” said Lambert.
All About the Benjamins: Here’s the Redesigned $100 Bill|Daniel Gross|October 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Edmund Morgan liked, especially, to teach his students how to make and sharpen a quill.
Tell Me What You See: Jill Lepore Salutes Historian Edmund S. Morgan|Jill Lepore|July 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Most of West Plains learned the news from the front-page article in The Quill on March 21.
Missouri, Where Parents Are OK With Armed Teachers|Justin Green|April 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The only addition made to it when in use is the insertion of a quill or straw as a mouth-piece.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
I may be a weak old fool, but I won't have them sold down there with quill wheels and warming-pans!
The Cromptons|Mary J. Holmes
For a pen she would catch a goose, pluck a quill, and ask Billy to cut it.
A Forest Hearth: A Romance of Indiana in the Thirties|Charles Major
The swish of a skirt seemed ridiculously loud in the hush, and the scratching of the judge's quill pen was noisily irritating.
You Never Know Your Luck, Complete|Gilbert Parker
The pen (calamus) was made of a reed brought to a point and cleft much as our quill pens are.
The Private Life of the Romans|Harold Whetstone Johnston

British Dictionary definitions for quill

quill

/ (kwɪl) /

noun

any of the large stiff feathers of the wing or tail of a bird
the long hollow central part of a bird's feather; calamus

a bird's feather made into a pen for writing

any of the stiff hollow spines of a porcupine or hedgehog

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

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

a small roll of bark, esp one of dried cinnamon

(in weaving) a bobbin or spindle

a fluted fold, as in a ruff

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

verb (tr)

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

to make or press fluted folds in (a ruff)

Word Origin for quill

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for quill

quill

[ kwĭl ]

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

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

quill

Origin of quill

OTHER WORDS FROM quill

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH quill

Words nearby quill

Words related to quill

How to use quill in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for quill

Word Origin for quill

Scientific definitions for quill