Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
quill feather

quill feather

7.0
A long stiff part of a bird's wing once used for writing
  • noun
  • /kwɪl ˈfɛðər/
translation icon : pluma
  • The artist carefully dipped the quill feather into ink before beginning to write the letter.

Examples

  • The eagle spread its wings, showing off each perfectly aligned quill feather.

  • A single quill feather was lodged between the pages of the old book as a bookmark.

  • The artist used a quill feather to create delicate lines.

  • Many ancient manuscripts were written with a quill feather.

  • The writer carefully dipped his quill feather into the ink before beginning to craft his letter.

  • In ancient times, a quill feather was often used to create beautiful manuscripts.

  • She selected a sharp quill feather from the collection to honor the tradition of hand-written notes.

Synonyms

feather
vsquill feather
403 1.0

A light flat part of a bird with a thin middle and many thin hair-like parts

is a specific large stiff type often used historically for writing
tail feather
vsquill feather
4 2.4

A feather that grows on a bird's tail

is the large stiff feather sometimes used for writing, not only defined by location
quill
vsquill feather
1 5.3

The hollow central part of a bird's feather

is the large stiff feather used historically for writing rather than only the shaft
pinion
vsquill feather
  • Specialized
1 8.2

Large outer wing feathers that birds use to fly

is the large feather considered as a writing tool or stiff shaft rather than wing part
primary feather
vsquill feather
  • Specialized
1 5.2

A long part of a bird's wing at the outer edge that helps the bird fly

is the same large feather type but noted for historical writing use
flight feather
vsquill feather
  • Specialized
1 4.5

A large stiff feather on a bird's wing or tail that helps it fly

is similar in shape but highlighted for historical writing use rather than flight function
primary quill
vsquill feather
  • Specialized
8.9

A long outer flight feather on a bird's wing that helps it fly

is treated as a writing instrument or general large feather, not mainly a flight part
sickle feather
vsquill feather
8.6

A long curved tail feather on a rooster that looks decorative

is a large stiff feather valued as a writing tool rather than for decoration

How Big

quill feather
7.0
contour feather
  • Specialized
8.2
down feather
1 3.2

Surface Forms

quill feather singular
quill feathers plural

Morphology

quill + feather

The meaning is directly and transparently derivable from the constituents: 'quill' denotes the hollow central shaft or large flight feather and 'feather' names the bird structure, so a 'quill feather' clearly refers to that type of feather. This is a compositional, non-idiomatic combination (in many languages the same relation is lexicalized), so a B1 learner who knows both words would understand it.

Etymology

Quill feather is the name for the large, stiff feather from a bird's wing or tail that was often used as a writing quill. Long ago, people cut the hollow stem and dipped the quill in ink to write, so the picture of the bird's strong feather became linked to a 'pen' and today the phrase still refers to that big writing feather.