Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The hollow stemlike main shaft of a feather.
  • noun Any of the larger wing or tail feathers of a bird.
  • noun A writing pen made from the shaft of a feather.
  • noun A plectrum for a stringed instrument of the clavichord type.
  • noun A pipe having a hollow stem.
  • noun A toothpick made from the stem of a feather.
  • noun One of the sharp hollow spines of a porcupine or hedgehog.
  • noun A spindle or bobbin around which yarn is wound in weaving.
  • noun A hollow shaft that rotates on a solid shaft when gears are engaged.
  • intransitive verb To wind (thread or yarn) onto a quill.
  • intransitive verb To make or press small ridges in (fabric).
  • intransitive verb To practice the art or craft of quilling.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The stalk of a cane or reed.
  • noun A cane or reed pipe, such as those used in Pan's pipes.
  • noun One of the large, strong feathers of geese, swans, turkeys, crows, etc., used for writing-pens and the like.
  • noun A quill pen; hence, by extension, any pen, especially considered as the characteristic instrument of a writer.
  • noun One of the comparatively large flight-feathers or remiges of any bird, without reference to the use of such feathers for making quill pens; a quill-feather: as, the quills and coverts of the wing; sometimes extended to include the similar feathers of the tail.
  • noun The hard, hollow, horny part of the scape of any feather, which does not bear barbs, and by which the feather is inserted in the skin; the calamus, as distinguished from the rachis.
  • noun One of the much enlarged and peculiarly modified hairs with which some animals, as porcupines, are provided; a large hollow spine.
  • noun A piece of small reed or other light slender tube, used by weavers to wind thread upon, and by manufacturers to hold the wound silk and other thread prepared for sale.
  • noun A plectrum of quill, as of a goose, for playing on musical instruments of the lute and zither families.
  • noun In the harpsichord, spinet, and virginal, a small piece of quill projecting from the jack of each key (digital), and so set that when the key was depressed the corresponding string was twitched or twanged by it. Various other materials were used instead of quills.
  • noun In seal-engraving, the hollow shaft or mandril of the seal-engravers' lathe, in which the cutting-tools are secured to be revolved while the stones are held against them.
  • noun In mining, a train for igniting a blast, consisting of a quill filled with slow-burning powder: it is now superseded by the safety-fuse.
  • noun The faucet of a barrel.
  • noun In pharmacy, bark in a roll, such as is often formed in drying, as of cinnamon or cinchona.
  • To pluck out quills from.
  • To tap, as a barrel of liquor.
  • To wind thread or yarn on quills for the loom.
  • noun In machinery, a hollow shaft: a cylinder; a pipe; specifically, in a turbine, the hollow shaft which carries the revolving blades or blade-wheels.
  • To insert or adjust the quills of (a harpsichord or spiuet).
  • noun A fold of a plaited or fluted ruff or ruffle.
  • To flute; form with small rounded ridges.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun One of the large feathers of a bird's wing, or one of the rectrices of the tail; also, the stock of such a feather.
  • noun A pen for writing made by sharpening and splitting the point or nib of the stock of a feather.
  • noun A spine of the hedgehog or porcupine.
  • noun The pen of a squid. See Pen.
  • noun The plectrum with which musicians strike the strings of certain instruments.
  • noun The tube of a musical instrument.
  • noun Something having the form of a quill.
  • noun The fold or plain of a ruff.
  • noun (Weaving) A spindle, or spool, as of reed or wood, upon which the thread for the woof is wound in a shuttle.
  • noun (Mach.) A hollow spindle.
  • noun (Pharm.) A roll of dried bark.
  • noun a bit for boring resembling the half of a reed split lengthways and having its end sharpened like a gouge.
  • noun [Jocose] one who works with a pen; a writer; a clerk.
  • noun a small quill pen made to be used with a holder.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English quil.]

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word quill.

Examples

  • Elayne knew she shouldn’t have tried to substitute a chicken feather for the quill from a magical hoopoe bird.

    Writer Unboxed » Blog Archive » The First Few Notes 2006

  • For the next several moments, the retreating howl of the wind and the scratch of her quill were the only noises in the room.

    Much Ado About Marriage Karen Hawkins 2010

  • For the next several moments, the retreating howl of the wind and the scratch of her quill were the only noises in the room.

    Much Ado About Marriage Karen Hawkins 2010

  • For the next several moments, the retreating howl of the wind and the scratch of her quill were the only noises in the room.

    Much Ado About Marriage Karen Hawkins 2010

  • Crossed quills (quill feather pens) would be a Yeoman (clerical job), and a book with a quill is a Personnelman (also clerical).

    Rank and Specialty 2005

  • Now, it must be here understood, that ink is the great missive weapon in all battles of the learned, which, conveyed through a sort of engine called a quill, infinite numbers of these are darted at the enemy by the valiant on each side, with equal skill and violence, as if it were an engagement of porcupines.

    The Battle of the Books 2003

  • Then we knights of the quill are a stiff-necked generation, who as seldom care to seem to doubt the worth of our writings, and their being liked, as we love to flatter more than one at a time; and had rather draw our pens, and stand up for the beauty of our works (as some arrant fools use to do for that of their mistresses) to the last drop of our ink.

    Five books of the lives, heroic deeds and sayings of Gargantua and his son Pantagruel 2002

  • Then we knights of the quill are a stiff-necked generation, who as seldom care to seem to doubt the worth of our writings, and their being liked, as we love to flatter more than one at a time; and had rather draw our pens, and stand up for the beauty of our works (as some arrant fools use to do for that of their mistresses) to the last drop of our ink.

    Five books of the lives, heroic deeds and sayings of Gargantua and his son Pantagruel 2002

  • Lastly, his dress is plain, without singularity, -- with no other ornament than the quill, which is the badge of his function, stuck behind the dexter ear, and this rather for convenience of having it at hand, when he hath been called away from his desk, and expecteth to resume his seat there again shortly, than from any delight which he taketh in foppery or ostentation.

    The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 14, No. 84, October, 1864 Various

  • Consequently an instrument was made for that purpose, known as the quill-pen cutter.

    Chats on Household Curios 1900

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • Public School Slang: to flatter.

    April 14, 2009

  • "14. In pharmacy, bark in a roll, such as is often formed in drying, as of cinnamon or cinchona."

    --Century Dictionary

    January 25, 2011