English
quill
Quill comes from Middle English quyl.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500quyl
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1599–1602quill
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500quyl
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1599–1602quill
Earliest quotation: c. 1599–1602, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: “I could a Tale vnfold, vvhoſe lighteſt vvord /…”
first attested 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”) (as stated in the etymology)
The story
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’).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- ‘to pierce, stick’
ball, symbol, devil, metabolic, emblem, hyperbolic, parable, parabolic, embolism, anabolic, obelisk, quail, metabolize, quell, pul, hyperbola, 68 more
Today it means
noun The lower shaft of a feather, specifically the region lacking barbs.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English quyl / quill