what means quills
â¢ QUILL (noun). The noun QUILL has 4 senses: 1. pen made from a bird's feather. 2. a stiff hollow protective spine on a porcupine or hedgehog. 3. any of the larger wing or tail feathers of a bird. 4. the hollow spine of a feather. Familiarity information: QUILL used as a noun is uncommon.