bowel

American  

[bou-uhl, boul] / ˈbaʊ əl, baʊl /

noun

1. Anatomy.

   1. Usually bowels. the intestine.

   2. a part of the intestine.

2. bowels,

   1. the inward or interior parts.

      the bowels of the earth.

   2. Archaic. feelings of pity or compassion.

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verb (used with object)

boweled, boweling, bowelled, bowelling

1. to disembowel.

bowel British  

/ ˈbaʊəl /

noun

1. an intestine, esp the large intestine in man

2. (plural) innards; entrails

3. (plural) the deep or innermost part (esp in the phrase the bowels of the earth )

4. archaic (plural) the emotions, esp of pity or sympathy

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bowel Scientific  

/ bou′əl /

1. The intestine.

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Other Word Forms

• bowelless adjective

Etymology

Origin of bowel

1250–1300; Middle English b ( o ) uel < Old French < Latin botellus little sausage ( bot ( ulus ) sausage + -ellus -elle )

Example Sentences

Largely forgotten until recently, it is hoped this unique archive will help unravel the mystery of the rising number of younger people getting bowel cancer.

From Barron's

The government has already said it will lower the threshold at which bowel cancer screening triggers further checks to help identify more cancers.

From BBC

“But the constant lecturing on the perils of dogged bowels—not quite an equitable trade, is it?”

From Literature

The debate ignited when Coco Gauff was caught on camera repeatedly smashing her racquet in the bowels of the stadium following her defeat in the Melbourne quarter-finals on Tuesday.

From Barron's

Itchy skin, rashes, an ear infection and bowel troubles sent us to the vet every few weeks.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• decimate
• empty
• eviscerate
• loot
• ransack
• ravage