Bowel

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈbaʊ.əl/

Definitions

1. An elongated tubular structure in the digestive system that aids in nutrient absorption and waste elimination, while also referring broadly to the internal organs and potential emotional distress linked to them
2. An organ within the digestive tract responsible for digestion and waste removal, which can also signify the internal organs as a whole or emotional turmoil often associated with them
3. The segment of the digestive system where food is processed and waste is formed ; the collective term for internal viscera inside the abdomen

Etymology: The English word "bowel" arrived through Middle French "bouel," which came from Old French "boïel." Its ultimate source is the Latin "botellus," a little sausage, a diminutive of "botulus," meaning sausage. So the organ that digests our food was named after a link of cooked meat, which fits the way intestines were once stuffed and tied into sausages. The word has a close relative that most English speakers have never noticed. "Boyau," the French word for intestine or gut, comes from the same Latin root and entered the language along a parallel path, so the two are doublets, two forms of one word that reached French at different times and in different shapes. English kept only the one that came through Middle French.

Synonyms: intestine, gut, innards, viscera, insides