Standard Lemma guide

bowels

noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈbaʊ.əlz/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -aʊəlz
  • CMU ARPABET: B AW1 AH0 L Z Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: B AW1 L Z Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The deepest or innermost part.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural, plural-only

Examples

  • down in the bowels of the Earth

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: centre/center, core, heart

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The concept or quality that defines something at its very core.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural, plural-only

Examples

  • the project’s bowels

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: crux, essence, guts, bowels, sum, brass tacks, core, gist, drift, gravamen, heart, heart and soul, heartstring, heartstrings, inwardness, kernel, marrow, meat, moral of the story, nitty-gritty, nub, nuts and bolts, pith, punctum saliens, quintessence, soul, spirit, stuff, substance, tenor

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The intestines.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural, plural-only

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: entrails, guts, innards, insides

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Compassion, sympathy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural, plural-only

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fellow feeling, pity, bowels, commiseration, compassion, empathy, mercy, remorse, rue, ruth, sympathy, tenderheartedness, loving-kindness

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

The body as the source of offspring.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete, plural, plural-only

Examples

  • 1751, Thomas Skinner, “A Sermon preach’d at the Ma’nor of Peace, in the County of Hampshire, on May the 9th, 1751” in Alfred Baylies Page, Reverend Grindall Rawson and his Ministry, 1907, p. 9, Had you been their natural Parents, and they the Children of your own Bowels, Methinks, you could not have Contributed much more Bountifully to their Assistance [...]

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

plural of bowel

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, plural

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

the center of the Earth

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: center, centre, midpoint

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

65 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: недра (nedra) — deepest or innermost part
  • Bulgarian: дебри (debri) — deepest or innermost part
  • Czech: nitro — deepest or innermost part
  • Galician: entrañas — deepest or innermost part
  • German: Tiefen — deepest or innermost part
  • German: Eingeweide — deepest or innermost part
  • German: Innerstes — deepest or innermost part
  • German: Verborgenes — deepest or innermost part
  • Italian: profondità — deepest or innermost part
  • Italian: viscere — deepest or innermost part
  • Korean: 알맹이 (almaeng'i) — deepest or innermost part
  • Portuguese: entranhas — deepest or innermost part
  • Russian: нутро́ (nutró) — deepest or innermost part
  • Russian: вну́тренности (vnútrennosti) — deepest or innermost part
  • Russian: не́дра (nédra) — deepest or innermost part
  • Spanish: profundidades — deepest or innermost part
  • Spanish: entrañas — deepest or innermost part
  • Bulgarian: ярдо (jardo) — concept or quality that defines something at its very core
  • Bulgarian: сърцевина (sǎrcevina) — concept or quality that defines something at its very core
  • Czech: jádro — concept or quality that defines something at its very core
  • German: Wesenskern — concept or quality that defines something at its very core
  • German: innerstes Wesen — concept or quality that defines something at its very core
  • German: innerster Kern — concept or quality that defines something at its very core
  • Korean: 알맹이 (almaeng'i) — concept or quality that defines something at its very core
  • Russian: ядро́ (jadró) — concept or quality that defines something at its very core
  • Afrikaans: ingewande — intestines
  • Arabic: مِعًى (miʕan) — intestines
  • Azerbaijani: içalat — intestines
  • Azerbaijani: bağırsaq — intestines
  • Bulgarian: черва (červa) — intestines
  • Catalan: intestins — intestines
  • Catalan: budell — intestines
  • Chinese Mandarin: 腸 /肠 (cháng) — intestines
  • Chinese Mandarin: 腸子 /肠子 (chángzi) — intestines
  • Czech: střevo — intestines
  • Czech: střeva — intestines
  • Esperanto: intestaro — intestines
  • French: entrailles — intestines
  • French: boyaux — intestines
  • Galician: intestinos — intestines
  • German: Gedärme — intestines
  • German: Eingeweide — intestines
  • Gothic: 𐌷𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸𐍂𐌰 (hairþra) — intestines
  • Ancient Greek: χολάδες (kholádes) — intestines
  • Irish: inní — intestines
  • Italian: interiora — intestines
  • Italian: budella — intestines
  • Japanese: 腸 — intestines
  • Korean: 배알 (baeal) — intestines
  • Korean: 창자 (changja) — intestines
  • Māori: ngākau — intestines
  • Māori: piro — intestines
  • Māori: piropiro — intestines
  • Occitan: intestins — intestines
  • Occitan: budèl — intestines
  • Portuguese: intestinos — intestines
  • Russian: кишки́ (kiškí) — intestines
  • Spanish: intestinos — intestines
  • Spanish: entrañas — intestines
  • Spanish: vientre — intestines
  • Ottoman Turkish: ایچ (iç) — intestines
  • Vietnamese: ruột — intestines
  • Vietnamese: tràng — intestines
  • Woiwurrung: brra-brra-doo — intestines
  • Woiwurrung: koonong — intestines