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Glite Dictionary
quill-driver

quill-driver

9.9
An old-fashioned name for a person who writes for a living, often doing simple forms
  • noun
  • /ˈkwɪlˌdraɪvər/
  • Archaic
translation icon : escribano
  • The company hired another quill-driver to handle the mountain of paperwork.

Examples

  • The quill-driver penned letters all day long.

  • She prided herself on not being a mere quill-driver, but a true author.

  • In Victorian novels, a quill-driver often appears as a minor clerical character.

  • In the past, a quill-driver was essential for record-keeping.

  • In Victorian novels, a quill-driver often appears as a minor clerical character.

  • The company hired another quill-driver to handle the mountain of paperwork.

  • In the past, a quill-driver was essential for record-keeping.

Synonyms

typist
vsquill-driver
  • Archaic
14 1.4

A person who types documents for work using a keyboard

refers to handwritten routine or clerical work rather than machine typing
scribbler
vsquill-driver
  • Offensive
2 8.2

A writer, often a journalist, who people think is not very skilled

is a neutral humorous historic term for routine writing not an insult
penman
vsquill-driver
  • Archaic
1 7.7

A person who writes for a living, for example a journalist or author

is a historical routine or clerical writer rather than a skilled formal one
typer
vsquill-driver
1 3.4

A person who writes using a keyboard

is a historical term for hand based routine writing rather than keyboard work

How Old-fashioned

quill-driver
  • Archaic
9.9
scribe
25 6.2
typist
  • Archaic
14 1.4
writer
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

quill-driver singular
quill-drivers plural

Morphology

quill-driver = quill + driver (semi-transparent) = quill + driver

The components 'quill' + 'driver' are clear, but the agentive 'driver' applied figuratively to 'quill' (meaning 'writer') is archaic/figurative and may not be immediately obvious to learners.

Etymology

Quill-driver comes from quill ('feather pen') and driver ('person who makes something move or work'), so picture someone who 'drives' a pen all day. In older times it named a writer who did a lot of routine or clerical writing, and it was sometimes used jokingly for the pen itself.