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intestinalis

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word intestinalis

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
Ultimate origin
Latin intestīnum
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin intestīnus
Latin intestīnum
English intestine
Latin intestīnālis
English intestinal

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ɪn.tɛs.tiːˈnaː.lɪs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [in.tes.tiˈnaː.lis][1]

Forms

intestīnālis (neuter intestīnāle); third-declension two-termination adjective[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin intestīnum (“intestine, gut”) + -ālis.[1][2] Wiktionary calls it Renaissance Latin,[1] but the DMLBS labels it a Late Latin word of the glosses[3] and the MLW quotes medieval medical writers for it.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first records are undated in the dictionaries: Thaddeus of Florence speaks of an intestinal dysentery and Bruno of Longobucco of intestinal hernia,[4] and a medical text in the DMLBS of an intestinal flux, the signs of which are pain and pricking in the bowels.[3]

Semantic evolution

It was a medical term for what concerns the intestines.[4][3] With morbus it meant a hernia, in Poland and Bohemia as elsewhere.[5][6] Albertus Magnus also used it for “like an intestine”, of the membrane holding the eggs of crabs.[4] English borrowed intestinal from medical Latin in the early 15th century.[2]

Timeline

  • early 15th century – English borrows it as intestinal.[2]
  • 1567 – The acts of the Poznań chapter mention a canon suffering from morbus intestinalis, a hernia.[5]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. (Medieval Latin) Of the intestines, intestinal;[4][3][5][6] morbus intestinalis, a hernia.[4][3][5][6]
  2. (Medieval Latin) Like an intestine.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  5. ^ a b c d Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
  6. ^ a b c Latinitatis medii aevi lexicon Bohemorum / Slovník středověké latiny v českých zemích (1977–), Prague: Academia; electronic version, Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences
Cite this entry

“Intestinalis.” Etymologically, 7 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/la/intestinalis. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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