testa
[tes-tuh]
- the outer, usually hard, integument or coat of a seed.
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Origin of testa
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for testa
Contemporary Examples
“He had over the years made different offerings, and some were really ridiculous,” Testa says.
Testa says Huckaby's attempts to divert attention from herself show that she was sane.
Testa—who is tall and intense—says her demeanor led detectives to peg her as a suspect.
“I would say that Melissa was tempted by these girls,” says Testa.
Historical Examples
They had been there and owned it since the days of the Testa de Nevil.
Border Ghost StoriesHoward Pease
The testa of the seed bears no down, and may be divided into two parts.
The Medicinal Plants of the PhilippinesT. H. Pardo de Tavera
The next night the giant with Testa di Molton knocked with the same result.
The Valleys of TirolR. H. Busk
The testa covering the berry is made of lengthened cells with oblique markings resting on a thin membrane, almost structureless.
The structure of the testa is very different from that of either rice or oat, or indeed any of the other cereal grains.
testa
- a hard protective outer layer of the seeds of flowering plants; seed coat
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Word Origin
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
testa
[tĕs′tə]
- See seed coat.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.