1
a(1)
: a bobbin, spool, or spindle on which filling yarn is wound
(2)
: a hollow shaft often surrounding another shaft and used in various mechanical devices
b
: a roll of dried bark
cinnamon quills
2
a(1)
: the hollow horny shaft of a feather see feather illustration
(2)
: feather
especially
: one of the large stiff feathers of the wing or tail
b
: one of the hollow sharp spines of a porcupine or hedgehog
3
: something made from or resembling the quill of a feather
especially
: a pen for writing
4
: a float for a fishing line
quilled; quilling; quills
1
: to pierce with quills
2
a
: to wind (thread or yarn) on a quill
b
: to make a series of small rounded ridges in (cloth)
Examples of quill in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Alison Habens, JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2024
More feathers can also damage face fabrics since their sharp quills are prone to poking through.
—Wes Siler, Outside Online, 27 Sep. 2024
CNN, 2 Nov. 2022
Visitors can view a variety of media including textiles—such as Navajo artist D.Y. Begay’s Southwest landscape painting on wool—beadwork, sculpture, photography, film and even clothing attire such as beaded and quilled Louboutin shoes.
—Lily Katzman, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2020
See all Example Sentences for quill 
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Noun
Following their assimilation from the oral tradition into cheerleaders of literacy, the muses are seen waving pens and quills, scrolls and manuscripts in ancient artworks.
—Alison Habens, JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2024
More feathers can also damage face fabrics since their sharp quills are prone to poking through.
—Wes Siler, Outside Online, 27 Sep. 2024
Verb
Then Kekere-Ekun will quill piece by piece using colored paper, ribbons and parts of canvases before it's eventually completed.
—CNN, 2 Nov. 2022
Visitors can view a variety of media including textiles—such as Navajo artist D.Y. Begay’s Southwest landscape painting on wool—beadwork, sculpture, photography, film and even clothing attire such as beaded and quilled Louboutin shoes.
—Lily Katzman, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2020
See all Example Sentences for quill
Dictionary Entries Near quill
Cite this Entry
“Quill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quill. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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