gemmule vs quill

gemmule

noun
  • Synonym of plumule (“the first bud, or growing point, of a plant embryo, situated above the cotyledons”) 

  • In the obsolete theory of pangenesis propounded by the English scientist Charles Darwin (1809–1882): a hypothetical particle once thought to be the basis of heredity. 

  • Synonym of dendritic spine (“a small membranous protrusion from the dendrite of a neuron that typically receives input from a single axon at the synapse”) 

quill

noun
  • 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. 

  • Something having the form of a quill, such as the fold or plain of a ruff, or (weaving) a spindle, or spool, upon which the thread for the woof is wound in a shuttle. 

  • The lower shaft of a feather, specifically the region lacking barbs. 

  • The plectrum with which musicians strike the strings of certain instruments. 

  • A thin piece of bark, especially of cinnamon or cinchona, curled up into a tube. 

  • The tube of a musical instrument. 

  • A pen made from a feather. 

  • The pen of a squid. 

  • Any pen. 

verb
  • To subject (a woman who is giving birth) to the practice of quilling (blowing pepper into her nose to induce or hasten labor). 

  • To pierce or be pierced with quills. 

  • To decorate with quillwork. 

  • To form fabric into small, rounded folds. 

  • To write. 

How often have the words gemmule and quill occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )