quill
8
6.7
- noun
- /kwɪl/
:
púa
- The craft involved dyeing and sewing porcupine quills in birch bark.
- porcupine quill
I think she took a porcupine quill in my shoulder.
- I think she took a porcupine quill in my shoulder.
- Say more so porcupines can throw their quills.
Examples
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The porcupine's quills serve as a powerful defense against predators.
-
By the time we had him clear of quills, Uncle Ned said we'd take care of the orchard another day.
Fiction book (1998) -
I think she took a porcupine quill in my shoulder.
-
What a lovely set of quills!
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And I'm sure you see the sharp quills and the tough exterior.
-
But he sees Consuela firing more quills at the group.
Fiction book (2002) -
Their nest was littered with quills that were never used, papers that were never cut, and letters that never dried.
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After stepping too close, the dog yelped as a porcupine's quills lodged in its snout.
-
He carefully removed the quills from the animal's back to avoid hurting it further.
Synonyms
40
4.1
A sharp, stiff part on a plant or animal that can prick
Compounds
- Archaic
An old-fashioned name for a person who writes for a living, often doing simple forms
How Sharp
Surface Forms
Etymology
Quill originally named a bird 'feather', and people later used the same word for the sharp, hollow spines of porcupines and hedgehogs because those spines look like stiff feathers. So quill can mean a stiff, hollow spine used for protection.