Etymograph

English

quill

Quill may come from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- ‘to pierce, stick’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷelH-1‘to pierce, stick’root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500quyl1
  3. Englishearliest quotation c. 1599–1602quill1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English quill
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1599–1602, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: “I could a Tale vnfold, vvhoſe lighteſt vvord /…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷelH-Wiktionary, English quill‘to pierce, stick’root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500quylWiktionary, English quill
  3. Englishearliest quotation c. 1599–1602quillWiktionary, English quill. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 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 Wiktionary’s 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’).

Full etymology on Wiktionary

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.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “quill”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- / quill

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