from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Bowel \Bow"el\, n. [OE. bouel, bouele, OF. boel, boele, F.
boyau, fr. L. botellus a small sausage, in LL. also
intestine, dim. of L. botulus sausage.]
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1. One of the intestines of an animal; an entrail, especially
of man; a gut; -- generally used in the plural.
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He burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels
gushed out. --Acts i. 18.
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2. pl. Hence, figuratively: The interior part of anything;
as, the bowels of the earth.
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His soldiers . . . cried out amain,
And rushed into the bowels of the battle. --Shak.
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3. pl. The seat of pity or kindness. Hence: Tenderness;
compassion. "Thou thing of no bowels." --Shak.
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Bloody Bonner, that corpulent tyrant, full (as one
said) of guts, and empty of bowels. --Fuller.
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4. pl. Offspring. [Obs.] --Shak.
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