quill

American  

[kwil] / kwɪl /

noun

• quills
  plural

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.

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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 British  

/ 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

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verb

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

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

quill Scientific  

/ kwĭl /

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.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• quill-like
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• quills
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of quill

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

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Explanation

A quill is a feather, or the narrow tube of a feather's shaft — long ago used as a writing instrument. John Hancock didn't use a ballpoint to sign the Declaration of Independence, silly. He used a quill! The quills of a bird's feathers seem ideally designed for dipping in ink and writing on paper — they're so perfect that this type of old-fashioned pen is also called a quill. In addition to birds, there are some mammals with quills, including porcupines and hedgehogs. We know that quill comes from the Low German quiele , but beyond that its origin is a mystery.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

quill quills

The dining room table, where the sisters wrote, is strewn with manuscripts, quill pens and tea cups; a bonnet and shawl bedeck a chair in the small kitchen.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026

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?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 15, 2025

Written using quill and ink, the letter dated 4 September 1892 reveals the names of three engineers who installed a new type of light in the 30ft tower.

From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2024

When I told Julie that I planned to live for a year constitutionally—muskets, quill pens, and all—her reaction was not “Huzzah!”

From Slate ● May 8, 2024

He pulled out the quill and held it up.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Uniforms that sprouts porcupine quills at the tug of a collar?

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

As late as the 1800s, most commodities were cultivated: Cinnamon bark was peeled and rolled into quills, opium juiced from poppies, and tea leaves dried out in the sun.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

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.

From Salon ● Nov. 20, 2025

According to reports at the time there were some clues, including the discovery of straw bedding with porcupine quills in it.

From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2025

The spiny, flat tail of layered pine needle quills.

From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate

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