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.
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.
3. (Science: zoology) A spine of the hedgehog or porcupine. The pen of a squid. See Pen.
4. The plectrum with which musicians strike the strings of certain instruments. The tube of a musical instrument. He touched the tender stops of various quills. (milton)
5. Something having the form of a quill; as: The fold or plain of a ruff.
A hollow spindle. 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. Quill nib, a small quill pen made to be used with a holder.
Origin: Perhaps fr. F. Quille ninepin (see Kayless); but cf. Also G. Kiel a quill. MHG. Kil, and Ir. Cuille a quill.
Dictionary > Quill
You will also like...
![Thermographic image of face and neck](https://www.biologyonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Regulation-of-Organic-Metabolism-Growth-and-Energy-Balance-224x168.jpg)
Regulation of Organic Metabolism, Growth and Energy Balance
The human body is capable of regulating growth and energy balance through various feedback mechanisms. Get to know the e..
![Fossil trilobite imprint in the sediment](https://www.biologyonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Insects-252x168.jpg)
Insects
There are more species of insects than any other species combined. This surely illustrates that insects have the selecti..
![Gibberellins and Gibberellic Acid](https://www.biologyonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Gibberellins-and-Gibberellic-Acid-252x168.jpg)
Gibberellins and Gibberellic Acid
This tutorial describes the role of gibberellin family in plants. Find out the effects of gibberellin on plant growth an..
![Adaptive Radiation](https://www.biologyonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Adaptive-Radiation-252x168.jpg)
Adaptive Radiation
The diversification of several new species from a recent ancestral source, each adapted to utilize or occupy a vacant ad..
![Young plant growing from the soil.](https://www.biologyonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Soils-257x168.jpg)
Soils
Nutrients in the soil are essential to the proper growth of a land plant. This tutorial deals with the properties of soi..
![dinosaurs](https://www.biologyonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/The-Dinosaurs-252x168.jpg)
The Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs represented a major turn in the evolutionary development of organisms on Earth. The first dinosaurs were presu..