intestine

IPA/ɪnˈtestɪn/
KK[ˌɪntˈɛstən]IPA/ɪnˈtestɪn/

intestine — noun

  • intestinesingular
  • intestinesplural

1. the long passage inside the body that takes food on from the stomach so digestio

1.nounC1
Definition

the long passage inside the body that takes food on from the stomach so digestion can continue before waste leaves the body

Example

Doctors removed part of Quinn's intestine after the road accident.

medical pattern: remove part of the intestine

Food moves from the stomach into the small intestine to be digested.

collocation: small intestine

Common collocations
  • small intestine
  • large intestine
  • intestinal wall
  • intestine lining
  • blocked intestine
Synonyms
  • gut

    more informal and broader; can refer generally to the digestive system or the stomach area

  • bowel

    more medical and often used in the plural when talking about function or disease

  • colon

    only the large intestine, not the whole intestinal passage

Grammar Patterns

small intestine

large intestine

damage the intestine

Usage Note

Most often used in medical, science, or health discussions. In everyday talk, people often say 'gut' more loosely or name the small intestine or large intestine directly.

Common Mistakes

The doctor said my intestine are inflamed.
The doctor said my intestines are inflamed.
when both the small and large parts are meant together, English often uses the plural 'intestines'.

intestine — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For the body-part sense, intestine is the standard anatomical word for the long tube that carries food on after the stomach. Gut is much more informal and often broader, sometimes including the stomach area or even a person's inner feelings. Bowel is common in medicine and health advice, especially when talking about function, pain, or disease, and it often appears in the plural. Colon is narrower: it means only the large intestine, not the whole passage. Digestive tract is broader than intestine because it includes the stomach and other connected parts. A doctor may speak of an inflamed intestine, while a patient may simply say a gut problem.

gut ↗bowel ↗colon ↗digestive tract

Etymology

LatinMiddle EnglishEnglish

English took intestine from Latin intestinus, a word meaning 'inward' or 'internal'. The adjective sense came first, and the noun sense grew from the idea of the inner parts of the body, especially the digestive passage inside the abdomen.