View synonyms for testis

testis

[ tes-tis ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, Anatomy, Zoology.

, plural tes·tes [tes, -teez].

the male gonad or reproductive gland, either of the two oval glands located in the scrotum, commonly referred to as a testicle. Compare ovary ( def 1 ).

testis

/ ˈtɛstɪs /

noun

See testicle
another word for testicle

testis

/ tĕs′tĭs /

, Plural testes tĕs′tēz

The primary reproductive organ of male animals, in which sperm and the male sex hormones (androgens) are produced. In most vertebrates, the testes are contained inside the body. In many mammals, however, the testes are enclosed in an external scrotum.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of testis¹

First recorded 1675–85; from Latin: “witness, spectator, testicle”; the sense “male gonad” is a loan translation from Greek parastátēs “bystander, supporter (at law),” in medical usage (in the dual and plural) “the (pair of) glands lying side by side, the testicles” (equivalent to para- para- ¹( def ) + the combining form -statēs, from histánai “to make stand.”) Compare Greek prostátēs “one who stands in front, ruler,” in medical usage “the gland lying in front, the prostate ( def ) ”

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Word History and Origins

Origin of testis¹

C17: from Latin, literally: witness (to masculinity)

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Example Sentences

A moderately enlarged testis (probably regressing) was noted in the specimen from Pisté, on July 21.

From Project Gutenberg

Et hunc ipsa testis hæc audisse recordata est et stupefacta fuit.

From Project Gutenberg

Others imagine that the citron is intended, whose shape makes it an emblem of the testis.

From Project Gutenberg

The testis is rounded, and consists of a mass of cells, on an average 1/5000th of an inch in diameter.

From Project Gutenberg

The eye lies on the line of junction between the testis and the vesicula seminalis, and on their ventral side.

From Project Gutenberg

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