quill

Word family

Related topics: Birds, Animals

ldoce_278_aquill /kwɪl/ noun [countableC]

(also quill pen)SHWRITE a pen made from a large bird’s feather, used in the past 羽毛笔，羽管笔 →5 See picture of QUILL 羽毛笔 →4 See picture of 见图 quill

2. HBBa stiff bird’s feather 翎

3. HBAone of the long pointed things that grow on the back of a porcupine 〔豪猪的〕棘刺

Examples from the Corpus

quill• Photographed in 1973, Eugene Ionesco happily scribbles away with a feathered quill pen.• When Rama was king, I was poverty-stricken, procured a magic quill, and came here, just like you.• He pulled it farther open and saw that a bunch of quill pens in an elastic band had been moved.• The Assiniboin cleaned their pipes with pointed sticks decorated with porcupine quills, which they carried stuck in their hair.• Benjamin scrutinised the room, especially the objects on the desk, picking up the quill, the ink and paper.• Where the quill of the second fell there was silver and its bearer was the second to return.• The quill nib produces a crisper line as a result.

Origin quill

(1400-1500) Probably from Middle Low German quiele

Chinese

Corpus