quill

1 of 2

noun

ˈkwil 

1

a(1)

: a bobbin, spool, or spindle on which filling yarn is wound

(2)

: a hollow shaft often surrounding another shaft and used in various mechanical devices

b

: a roll of dried bark

cinnamon quills

2

a(1)

: the hollow horny shaft of a feather see feather illustration

(2)

: feather

especially : one of the large stiff feathers of the wing or tail

b

: one of the hollow sharp spines of a porcupine or hedgehog

c

: pen entry 3 sense 3

3

: something made from or resembling the quill of a feather

especially : a pen for writing

4

: a float for a fishing line

quill

2 of 2

verb

quilled; quilling; quills

transitive verb

1

: to pierce with quills

2

a

: to wind (thread or yarn) on a quill

b

: to make a series of small rounded ridges in (cloth)

Examples of quill in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

At another point in the video, a giraffe appears, reaching for a treetop, while there's also footage of a civet enjoying a snack and a porcupine displaying its quills. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 4 Mar. 2025

But this narrative does prove that the factory girl does not need fiction’s quill to excite sympathy and interest, nor to have her story fairly told. —Liesl Schillinger, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025

Verb

Then Kekere-Ekun will quill piece by piece using colored paper, ribbons and parts of canvases before it's eventually completed. —CNN, 2 Nov. 2022

Visitors can view a variety of media including textiles—such as Navajo artist D.Y. Begay’s Southwest landscape painting on wool—beadwork, sculpture, photography, film and even clothing attire such as beaded and quilled Louboutin shoes. —Lily Katzman, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English quil hollow reed, bobbin; akin to Middle High German kil large feather

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for quill

• bill
• brill
• chill
• drill
• fil
• fill
• frill
• gill
• grill
• grille
• jill
• kill

Kids Definition

quill

noun

ˈkwil

1

a

: the hollow tubelike part of a feather

b

: one of the large stiff feathers of the wing or tail

2

: one of the hollow sharp spines of a porcupine or hedgehog

3

: a pen made from a feather