entrail
entrail Lexical Profile
entrail Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A person's or animal's intestines or internal organs, especially when removed or exposed (usually used in the plural, entrails).
"Ancient Roman priests practiced haruspicy by inspecting the entrails of sacrificed animals for omens."
The innermost, hidden, or complex working parts of a structure, machine, or place (usually used in the plural, entrails).
"The technician spent hours examining the tangled electronic entrails of the vintage computer."
• verb
To twist, twine, or interweave together (archaic).
"In the Renaissance tapestry, golden threads were intricately entrailed with dark silk."
Word Nuance & Usage
The noun is almost exclusively used in its plural form, "entrails," to refer collectively to the intestines or innermost parts of something.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The noun derives from Middle English entraille, borrowed from Old French and ultimately from Vulgar Latin intralia (inward parts), from Latin interanea. The obsolete verb sense is an unrelated formation from the prefix en- and trail.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.