bowel

American  

[bou-uhl, boul] / ˈbaʊ əl, baʊl /

noun

bowels plural

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

Derived Forms

• bowelless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• bowels
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bowel

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

Example Sentences

Bowel or anal incontinence - when you cannot control when you poo - affects 20% of women and is most commonly caused by a birth injury, according to the British Journal of General Practice.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

Bowel Cancer UK recommends keeping a diary of your symptoms which you can discuss with your GP.

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026

According to Bowel Cancer UK, cases of the disease in people under 50 in Britain have increased by over 50 percent in the past 25 years.

From Barron's • Feb. 4, 2026

Bowel habits may not be a popular topic, but they offer valuable insight into how efficiently the gut moves material through the digestive system.

From Science Daily • Jan. 22, 2026

Defective Worm-like Bowel Movement.—Irregular habits of living head the list causing this defective action.

From Mother's Remedies Over One Thousand Tried and Tested Remedies from Mothers of the United States and Canada by Ritter, Thomas Jefferson

Related Words

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