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quill

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quill

  [kwil]
–noun
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.
a. a hollow shaft or sleeve through which another independently rotating shaft may pass.
b. a shaft, joined to and supported by two other shafts or machines, for transmitting motion from one to the other.
c. a rotating toolholder used in boring or facing internal angles.
11. a musical pipe, esp. one made from a hollow reed.
–verb (used with object)
12. Textiles.
a. to arrange (fabric) in flutes or cylindrical ridges, as along the edge of a garment, hem, etc.
b. to wind on a quill, as yarn.
13. to penetrate with, or as if with, a quill or quills.
14. to extract a quill or quills from: to quill a duck before cooking it.
Use quill in a Sentence
Origin:
1375–1425; late ME quil; cf. LG quiele, G Kiel

Related forms:
quill-like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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quill   (kwĭl)   
n.  

  1. The hollow stemlike main shaft of a feather. Also called calamus.

  2. Any of the larger wing or tail feathers of a bird.

  3. A writing pen made from the shaft of a feather.

  4. Music

    1. A plectrum for a stringed instrument of the clavichord type.

    2. A pipe having a hollow stem.

  5. A toothpick made from the stem of a feather.

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

  7. A spindle or bobbin around which yarn is wound in weaving.

  8. A hollow shaft that rotates on a solid shaft when gears are engaged.

tr.v.   quilled, quill·ing, quills

  1. To wind (thread or yarn) onto a quill.

  2. To make or press small ridges in (fabric).


[Middle English quil.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

quill 
c.1400, "piece of reed or hollow stem," probably related to M.H.G. kil "quill," from Low Ger. quiele, of unknown origin. Meaning "pens made from quills" is from 1552; that of "porcupine spines" is from 1602.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Science Dictionary
quill   (kwĭl)  Pronunciation Key 

  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.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

quill

hollow, horny barrel of a bird's feather, used as the principal writing instrument from the 6th century until the mid-19th century, when steel pen points were introduced. The strongest quills were obtained from living birds in their new growth period in the spring. Only the five outer wing feathers (follicles) were considered suitable for writing; the second and third were especially preferred. Quills from the left wing were favoured because the feathers curve outward and away from a right-handed writer.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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