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

There is no prostate-cancer screening programme in the UK, unlike those for breast, bowel and cervical cancer.

From BBC

Lives will be lost because of a shortage of specialist medicine used to detect diseases such as breast and bowel cancer.

From BBC

She was diagnosed with the chronic inflammatory bowel disease in 2017 and has been living with a stoma bag for seven years.

From BBC

But the drinks were met with mixed reactions from customers, with some complaining of stomach aches or bowel problems.

From BBC

Many mild cases do not need treatment, but more severe cases can cause problems with urinary or bowel function and can be treated with physiotherapy or surgery depending on what a patient and their provider decide.

From Salon

Related Words

• abdominal