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- DictionaryQuill/kwil/
noun
- 1. any of the main wing or tail feathers of a bird.
- 2. the hollow sharp spines of a porcupine, hedgehog, or other spiny mammal.
verb
- 1. form (fabric) into small cylindrical folds.
noun [ C ] us / kwɪl /. Add to word list. Add to word list. a long, sharp point on a porcupine, or a large feather with the end cut to a sharp point that was used, esp. in the past, as a pen. (Definition of quill from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)
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.
Meaning of quill in English. quill. noun [ C ] us / kwɪl / uk / kwɪl / Add to word list Add to word list. any of the long sharp pointed hairs on the body of a porcupine. Martin Harvey/DigitalVision/GettyImages. (also quill pen) a pen made from a bird's feather, used in the past. DNY59/E+/GettyImages. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases.
noun. the hollow spine of a feather. synonyms: calamus, shaft. see more. noun. a stiff hollow protective spine on a porcupine or hedgehog. see more. noun. pen made from a bird's feather. synonyms: quill pen. see more. noun. any of the larger wing or tail feathers of a bird. synonyms: flight feather, pinion, quill feather. see more. Cite this entry.
A quill is a writing tool made from a moulted flight feather (preferably a primary wing-feather) of a large bird. Quills were used for writing with ink before the invention of the dip pen, the metal- nibbed pen, the fountain pen, and, eventually, the ballpoint pen. [1] Ink bottle and quill.
