testa

[ tes-tuh ]
/ ˈtɛs tə /

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

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

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earnest
full seriousness, as of intention or purpose.
a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.
urgent character; imperativeness; insistence; importunateness.
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Origin of testa

1790–1800; < New Latin, Latin; see test2

Words nearby testa

test-market, test-tube, test-tube baby, test-tube skin, test., testa, testacean, testaceous, testacy, testalgia, testament
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences 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

Scientific 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.