quill

A pen made from a large bird feather, used by dipping its point in ink.

• He wrote with a quill.
• She dipped her quill in black ink.
• The museum displays several quills beside an old letter.

Similar words: quill pen, feather pen

Common phrases: quill pen, write with a quill, dip a quill

A stiff, sharp point growing from an animal's skin, especially a porcupine's, that helps protect it.

• A quill stuck in the dog's nose.
• The porcupine raised its quills.
• The vet carefully removed three quills from his paw.

Similar words: spine

Common phrases: porcupine quill, sharp quill, remove a quill

The hollow lower part of a feather, without the soft parts growing from its sides.

• The feather has a hollow quill.
• She examined the quill under a microscope.
• The quills were still attached to the bird's skin.

Similar words: calamus

Common phrases: feather quill, hollow quill, base of a quill

A pen used for writing, especially when writing is described in an old or poetic style.

• The poet took up his quill.
• Her quill produced another beautiful verse.
• He laid his quill beside the unfinished story.

Similar words: pen

Common phrases: take up a quill, a poet's quill, put a quill aside

To hurt an animal or person by sticking sharp animal spines into their skin.

• Our dog got quilled in the woods.
• The porcupine quilled the dog's nose.
• A vet treated the puppy after it was quilled.

How to use it: be/get quilled by something (The dog was quilled by a porcupine.)

Common phrases: quill a dog, quill an animal

To put words on paper.

• She quilled a short poem.
• The young poet quilled verses by candlelight.
• He quilled a letter to his distant love.

Similar words: write, pen

Common phrases: quill a poem, quill a letter, quill a verse

To arrange cloth in a series of small, rounded folds.

• She quilled the ribbon by hand.
• The dressmaker quilled the fabric along the collar.
• We learned to quill a narrow strip of cloth.

Similar words: pleat

Common phrases: quill fabric, quill a ribbon, quill the trim

To blow pepper into a woman's nose during childbirth in an old practice intended to speed birth.

• The old account describes a midwife quilling a woman.
• Some women were quilled with pepper during difficult births.
• The historian found records of mothers being quilled to hasten labour.

Common phrases: quill a woman, quill during childbirth