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quill Definition

quill (kwil)

noun

  1. any of the large, stiff wing or tail feathers of a bird
  2. the hollow, horny stem of a feather; calamus
  3. any of the spines of a porcupine or hedgehog
  4. any of various things made from the quill of a feather, specif., a pen for writing
  5. a musical pipe made of a hollow stem, reed, or cane
  6. a weaver's spindle or bobbin
  7. a hollow shaft in certain mechanical devices
  8. Pharmacy a small roll of dried bark, as of cinchona, cinnamon, etc.

Etymology: ME quil, hollow stalk, weaver's quill, prob. < MLowG or MDu, as in LowG quiele, quill of a feather < ? IE base *gwel-, to stick, stab

transitive verb

  1. to form with or into quillings
  2. to wind (thread or yarn) on a quill (sense )
  3. to cover or pierce with quills, as of a porcupine

quill Synonyms

quill

n.

down, plume, pinion, shaft; see feather.

quill Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • use: We made ink out of charcoal and water and some of us used the quill to sign our names.
  • have: These feathers are highly valued because they do not have quills.
  • cut: He cut the quill with the razor which he was allowed to use once a week.
  • assemble: Rick will start to assemble the Quills as soon as possible.
  • hold: This figure also holds a feather quill ( pen ) in contrast to the sword held by the figure of Steam.
  • make: The pens used for the writing were quills made from the primary feathers of birds.

Adjective modifier

golden: Each reviewer which wins a golden quill will be awarded with 30 tokens.

Modifies a noun

  • pen: Erasmus Darwin invented a device to copy drawings or writing in which two quill pens were fastened together.
  • feed: There was no quill feed, but the knee, as on larger machines, could be elevated through a screw feed.
  • award: URI has adopted the now famous golden quill award.
  • travel: On Mk 1 machines the quill travel was 2 1/8 " ; on the Mk 2 this was increased to 4 1/2 " .
  • float: My float was a dyed green quill float made by that great angler Dick Walker.

Noun used with modifier

  • porcupine: The probes act like porcupine quills in that the more they are moved, the deeper they work themselves.
  • peacock: Good sources for peacock quills are bird sanctuaries, zoos, tackle shops, or craft centers.
  • cinnamon: Break off about 2 centimeters of whole cinnamon quill.
  • goose: In the Dales, the favorite type of knitting stick was a shape known as the goose quill, which was curved and elegant.
  • feather: With the handmade feather quill, Honey Dust can be gently spread over the body of your partner or yourself.
  • crow: Stick floats, Avons and crow quills need to be dusted down and even bodied wagglers too.

Preposition: in

hand: Medieval depictions of SCRIBES often show them holding a quill in one hand and a knife in the other.

Preposition: of

feather: He wrote rapidly on course paper with a quill of goose feathers.