The internal organs of an animal, especially the intestines; used in both literal and figurative contexts.
From Old French 'entrailles,' derived from Medieval Latin 'entralia,' which comes from Latin 'interanea' (inward parts), based on 'inter' (within). The word shifted from meaning general internal organs to specifically the intestines.
Ancient Romans practiced 'haruspicy'—literally reading the future in animal entrails—and this superstition was so trusted that military leaders would make million-soldier decisions based on whether a sheep's liver looked normal, proving that humans have always projected meaning onto guts.
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