Intestine, pronounced in-TESS-tin, can function as an adjective meaning internal affairs, separate from its common use for the digestive organ. Both meanings stem from the Latin word for 'internal'.
Intestine (in-TESS-tin) can be used as an adjective meaning internal, specifically concerning the internal affairs of a state. Both the noun and adjective forms trace back to the Latin word for 'internal'.
| Front | intestine \in-TESS-tin\ |
|---|---|
| Back | adjective Internal; specifically, of or relating to the internal affairs of a state or country. [We bet you thought "intestine" was a noun referring to a part of the digestive system! It is, of course, but naming that internal body part isn't the word's only function. Both the noun and the adjective "intestine" have been a part of English since the 15th century, and both trace to the Latin adjective "intestinus," meaning "internal," and ultimately to "intus," meaning "within." Though the adjective "intestine" turns up much less frequently than does its anatomical cousin, it does see occasional use, especially as a synonym for "civil" and "domestic" (in contrast to "foreign") applied to wars and disturbances.] "Last week U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon instructed Valerie Amos to leave for Syria in order to assess the humanitarian situation in the country and agree with the authorities on ways to provide aid to the population hit by the intestine war." — From an article by the ITAR-TASS News Agency, March 1, 2012 |
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