definitions

testa

[ tes-tuh ]
/ ˈtɛs tə /
|

noun, plural tes·tae [tes-tee] /ˈtɛs ti/. Botany.

the outer, usually hard, integument or coat of a seed.

Nearby words

test-market, test-tube, test-tube baby, test-tube skin, test., testa, testacean, testaceous, testacy, testalgia, testament

Origin of testa

1790–1800; < New Latin, Latin; see test2
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for testa

British Dictionary definitions for testa

testa

/ (ˈtɛstə) /

noun plural -tae (-tiː)

a hard protective outer layer of the seeds of flowering plants; seed coat

Word Origin for testa

C18: from Latin: shell; see test ²
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Science definitions for testa

testa

[ tĕs′tə ]

Plural testae (tĕs′tē′)

See seed coat.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.