quill

quill · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*gʷelH-“to pierce, stick”
2. Middle Low German · derived fromquiele
3. Middle English · inherited fromquyl
4. English todayquill

From late Middle English quyl, which is first attested in the early 15th century with the meanings "fragment of reed" and "shaft of a feather", probably from Low German and Middle Low German quiele, possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- (“to pierce, stick”). Compare Middle High German kil (“large feather, quill”), which is derived from the Low German term.

Quill · proper noun²

1. Irish · derived fromÓ Cuill“descendant of Coll”
2. English todayQuill

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Cuill (“descendant of Coll”), a byname from coll (“hazel tree”).

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from early 17th c. A sharply pointed, barbed, and easily detached needle-like structure that grows on the skin of a porcupine or hedgehog as a defense against predators.