quill
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.
a reed or other hollow stem on which yarn is wound.
a bobbin or spool.
a toothpick.
Machinery.
a hollow shaft or sleeve through which another independently rotating shaft may pass.
a shaft, joined to and supported by two other shafts or machines, for transmitting motion from one to the other.
a rotating toolholder used in boring or facing internal angles.
a musical pipe, especially one made from a hollow reed.
Textiles.
to arrange (fabric) in flutes or cylindrical ridges, as along the edge of a garment, hem, etc.
to wind on a quill, as yarn.
to penetrate with, or as if with, a quill or quills.
to extract a quill or quills from: to quill a duck before cooking it.
Origin of quill
1Other words from quill
- quill-like, adjective
Words that may be confused with quill
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use quill in a sentence
The porcupines are large, plantigrade rodents notable for the mixture of quill-like spines with the hair.
Zoology: The Science of Animal Life | Ernest IngersollThis plant grows in lakes, and is easily recognized by its quill-like foliage.
How to Know the Ferns | S. Leonard Bastin
British Dictionary definitions for quill
/ (kwɪl) /
any of the large stiff feathers of the wing or tail of a bird
the long hollow central part of a bird's feather; calamus
a bird's feather made into a pen for writing
any of the stiff hollow spines of a porcupine or hedgehog
a device, formerly usually made from a crow quill, for plucking a harpsichord string
angling a length of feather barb stripped of barbules and used for the body of some artificial flies
a small roll of bark, esp one of dried cinnamon
(in weaving) a bobbin or spindle
a fluted fold, as in a ruff
a hollow shaft that rotates upon an inner spindle or concentrically about an internal shaft
to wind (thread, yarn, etc) onto a spool or bobbin
to make or press fluted folds in (a ruff)
Origin of quill
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for quill
[ kwĭl ]
The hollow shaft of a feather, the bottom of which attaches to the bird's skin.
One of the sharp hollow spines of a porcupine or hedgehog.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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