testis
Americannoun
-
testes
plural
noun
-
testes
plural
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of testis
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. ) ”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In the cell, it binds to other DNA, leading to testis formation, according to the National Library of Medicine.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
Most importantly, mice and men with these mutations have no other defects and even have normal testis size.
From Science Daily ● May 23, 2024
"In humans, differently from other animal species and lower mammalians, testis are located outside of the abdomen. This contributes to the maintenance of an organ temperature 2º to 4° C below core body temperature."
From Salon ● Mar. 28, 2024
By employing advanced sequencing techniques, the researchers identified significant differences in DNA methylation across thousands of regions in both the brain and testis of the affected frogs.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 11, 2024
NNE Felipe Carrillo Puerto; ♂, 40675, left testis 13 mm., right testis 10 mm.,
From Summer Birds From the Yucatan Peninsula by Erwin E. Klaas
If a human embryo has XY chromosomes the SRY gene leads to the formation of testes, which then produce hormones including testosterone that lead to male development - and can increase muscle mass and strength.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2025
In the brain, sexual differentiation starts before birth and results from a combination of sex chromosomes in brain tissue, sex hormones produced by the testes or ovaries and the environment.
From Salon ● Apr. 22, 2025
Researchers found high levels of microplastics in human and dog testes.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2024
Over the past couple of decades researchers have found that long-distance signaling goes beyond a few glands and organs—the pancreas, thyroid, testes, and ovaries—that spill out familiar hormones such as insulin and testosterone.
From Science Magazine ● May 22, 2024
Pheasants also accumulated extraordinary amounts in the testes, up to 1500 parts per million.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
