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Definition of quill

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quill  audio  (kwl) KEY  

NOUN:
  1. The hollow stemlike main shaft of a feather. Also called calamus .
  2. Any of the larger wing or tail feathers of a bird.
  3. A writing pen made from the shaft of a feather.
  4. Music
    1. A plectrum for a stringed instrument of the clavichord type.
    2. A pipe having a hollow stem.
  5. A toothpick made from the stem of a feather.
  6. One of the sharp hollow spines of a porcupine or hedgehog.
  7. A spindle or bobbin around which yarn is wound in weaving.
  8. A hollow shaft that rotates on a solid shaft when gears are engaged.
TRANSITIVE VERB:
quilled , quill·ing , quills
  1. To wind (thread or yarn) onto a quill.
  2. To make or press small ridges in (fabric).
ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English quil


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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition.
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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