bowel

[ bou-uhl, boul ]

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.

verb (used with object)

, bow·eled, bow·el·ing or (especially British) bow·elled, bow·el·ling.

1. to disembowel.

bowel

/ 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

bowel

/ bou′əl /

1. The intestine.

Other Words From

• bowel·less adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bowel¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of bowel¹

C13: from Old French bouel , from Latin botellus a little sausage, from botulus sausage

Example Sentences

Anything in your gut sticks to the surface of charcoal like a magnet and gets carried out through a bowel movement.

From The Daily Beast

Take, for example, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a condition that affects some 15 percent of Americans.

From The Daily Beast

The tumor in his colon had spread to four of his lymph nodes and penetrated the bowel wall.

From The Daily Beast

The thing is that autoimmune diseases—like diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and rheumatoid arthritis—are on the rise.

From The Daily Beast

But new research shows it is indeed real, and may be the cause of asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, and more.

From The Daily Beast

Yellowish or brown, needle-like or rhombic crystals of hematoidin (Fig. 32) may be seen after hemorrhage into the bowel.

From Project Gutenberg

Glycerine and soapy water, equal parts, may be introduced into the bowel for temporary relief of a persistent constipation.

From Project Gutenberg

Hence it follows that the lower bowel should be emptied of this matter as frequently as possible, at least once a day.

From Project Gutenberg

This contains no food value, and does not ferment, but fills the lower bowel and stimulates it to activity.

From Project Gutenberg

Stomach and bowel troubles, and the nervous disorders occasioned by these, stop almost immediately when you fast.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• abdominal