bowel
UK[ˈbaʊəl]US[ˈbaʊəl]
n
The long tube in the body that carries food away from the stomach; the intestine.
n
(plural, bowels) The deepest inner parts of something.
Etymology
The journey of 'bowel' begins with the Latin diminutive 'botellus', a small, sausage-shaped thing, derived from 'botulus', meaning 'sausage'. This term was borrowed into Old French as 'boel' or 'bouel', referring specifically to the intestines. Entering Middle English, the word evolved in spelling to 'bowel' while retaining its anatomical sense. The semantic logic is a vivid metaphor: the coiled intestines were likened to small, linked sausages, a comparison that solidified the term's meaning from a general edible form to a specific internal organ, later extending figuratively to mean the innermost parts of anything.
Analysis
The word 'bowel' is a simplex word derived as a whole from Old French. Its ultimate origin is the Latin word 'botellus', meaning 'small sausage' or 'intestine'.
Examples
The infection had spread to his lower bowel.
They felt a deep rumble in their bowels.
The machinery was hidden deep in the bowels of the ship.