intestinals

Intestinals is a term that appears infrequently in contemporary English medical literature. It can function as an adjective, intestinal or intestinal, meaning relating to the intestines, or as a plural noun, intestinals, used to refer to intestinal parts. However, as a standalone noun it is not standard, and most medical writing uses intestinal, intestines, or intestinal tissue instead.

Etymology and usage notes: The word derives from Latin intestinus, meaning within or internal, and is related to the anatomical term intestine. In modern practice, the preferred forms are intestinal (adjective) and intestines or intestinal tissue (noun). When intestinals is encountered, it is typically in older texts, in specific stylistic contexts, or as a nonstandard plural referring to components of the intestinal tract.

Anatomy and scope: The intestine comprises the small intestine (duodenum, jejunum, ileum) and the large intestine (cecum, colon, rectum). The walls include mucosa, submucosa, muscularis, and serosa, with the lumen lined by epithelium. The term intestinals, if used as a noun, would conceptually encompass these tissues or the intestinal segments as a group, but this usage is uncommon in modern terminology.

Clinical and linguistic context: In clinical writing, precise terminology is preferred; references to the intestine use terms like intestinal tract, intestinal tissue, or simply intestines. Intestinals may appear in historical documents or in discussions of archaic nomenclature.

See also: Digestive system, Intestine, Intestinal tract, Bowel, Gastrointestinal system.