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)

boweled, boweling , bowelled, bowelling .

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

1. The intestine.

Other Word Forms

• bowelless 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

Examples include women being invited for a mammogram to look for breast cancer or the at-home bowel cancer test that is posted to your home every two years over the age of 50.

Read more on BBC

During immune escape, bowel cancer cells disrupt the genes that normally allow the body's immune defenses to recognize them as a threat.

Read more on Science Daily

In the bowels of a building at a London university, a curious professor opens a turquoise door that reads “Map Room.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"These appeared to be in separate parts of bowel adhered together due to magnetic forces," they said.

Read more on Barron's

When combined with breast, bowel and cervical screening it increased the number of cancers detected overall seven-fold.

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Related Words

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