Relating to the intestines, the long tube-shaped organs in your abdomen that digest food and absorb nutrients.
From Latin 'intestinus' (inward, internal), related to 'intestina' (the entrails). The suffix '-al' makes it an adjective. Medieval doctors called intestines 'intestina' because they were the innermost organs.
Your intestines are surprisingly long—about 30 feet coiled up inside you—and the word 'intestinal' comes from Latin meaning 'internal,' which made perfect sense to ancient doctors who could see these mysterious tubes were hidden deep inside the body unlike the heart or lungs.
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