To remove the bowels or intestines from; to disembowel or eviscerate.
From 'em-' (to put in or remove from) + 'bowel' (intestines), from Old French 'bouel,' from Latin 'botellus' (small sausage). The prefix adds intensity to the root meaning.
Medieval manuscripts and historical descriptions use this grim term to describe preparation of game animals for cooking—a practice that's central to understanding how our ancestors used every part of an animal.
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