Link Centre Dictionary

quill

UK/kwɪl/ US/kʰw̥ɪl/ uncommon us

noun

1.

pen made from a bird''s feather

Synonyms
2.
3.

any of the larger wing or tail feathers of a bird

Synonyms
4.

the hollow shaft of a feather

Synonyms

Origin

From late Middle English quyl, which is first attested in the early 15th century with the meanings "fragment of reed" and "shaft of a feather", probably from Low German and Middle Low German quiele, possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- (“to pierce, stick”). Compare Middle High German kil (“large feather, quill”), which is derived from the Low German term.

Phrases

  • Big Quill
  • crow quill
  • piss in a quill
  • pure quill
  • quill bit
  • quill feather
  • quill mite
  • quill pen

Related words

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.