Quill

5 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Quill \Quill\, n. [Perhaps fr. F. quille ninepin (see
     {Kayless}); but cf. also G. kiel a quill. MHG. kil, and Ir.
     cuille a quill.]
     1. One of the large feathers of a bird's wing, or one of the
        rectrices of the tail; also, the stock of such a feather.
        [1913 Webster]


  
     2. A pen for writing made by sharpening and splitting the
        point or nib of the stock of a feather; as, history is the
        proper subject of his quill. --Sir H. Wotton.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. (Zool.)
        (a) A spine of the hedgehog or porcupine.
        (b) The pen of a squid. See {Pen}.
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     4. (Mus.)
        (a) The plectrum with which musicians strike the strings
            of certain instruments.
        (b) The tube of a musical instrument.
            [1913 Webster]
  
                  He touched the tender stops of various quills.
                                                    --Milton.
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     5. Something having the form of a quill; as:
        (a) The fold or plain of a ruff.
        (b) (Weaving) A spindle, or spool, as of reed or wood,
            upon which the thread for the woof is wound in a
            shuttle.
        (c) (Mach.) A hollow spindle.
            [1913 Webster]
  
     6. (Pharm.) A roll of dried bark; as, a quill of cinnamon or
        of cinchona.
        [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
  
     {Quill bit}, a bit for boring resembling the half of a reed
        split lengthways and having its end sharpened like a
        gouge.
  
     {Quill driver}, one who works with a pen; a writer; a clerk.
        [Jocose]
  
     {Quill nib}, a small quill pen made to be used with a holder.
        --Simmonds.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Quill \Quill\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Quilled}; p. pr. & vb. n.
     {Quilling}.]
     1. To plaint in small cylindrical ridges, called quillings;
        as, to quill a ruffle.
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              His cravat seemed quilled into a ruff. --Goldsmith.
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     2. To wind on a quill, as thread or yarn. --Judd.
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From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  quill
       n 1: pen made from a bird's feather [syn: {quill pen}]
       2: a stiff hollow protective spine on a porcupine or hedgehog
       3: any of the larger wing or tail feathers of a bird [syn: {flight
          feather}, {pinion}, {quill feather}]
       4: the hollow shaft of a feather [syn: {calamus}, {shaft}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  38 Moby Thesaurus words for "quill":
     barb, barbule, barrel, bramble, brier, bristle, burr, cactus,
     catchweed, cilium, cleavers, crest, feather, filament, filamentule,
     goose grass, hackle, needle, nettle, panache, pine needle, pinion,
     plume, plumule, prickle, scapular, shaft, spicule, spiculum, spike,
     spikelet, spine, sticker, thistle, thorn, topknot, tuft, yucca
  
  

From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:

  QUILL, n.  An implement of torture yielded by a goose and commonly
  wielded by an ass.  This use of the quill is now obsolete, but its
  modern equivalent, the steel pen, is wielded by the same everlasting
  Presence.