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testes

[ tes-teez ]
/ ˈtɛs tiz /
|

noun

plural of testis.

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RELATED WORDS

genitalia, nuts, gonads, vulva, testes, stones, pudenda, ballocks, balls, cullions, rocks, heart, marrow, stomach, tongue, tripe, brains, chitlins, chitterlings

Nearby words

testatrix, testcross, testectomy, testee, tester, testes, testicle, testicular, testicular artery, testicular cord, testicular feminization syndrome

Definition for testes (2 of 2)

testis

[ tes-tis ]
/ ˈtɛs tɪs /

noun, plural tes·tes [tes-teez] /ˈtɛs tiz/. Anatomy, Zoology.

the male gonad or reproductive gland, either of two oval glands located in the scrotum.

Origin of testis

1675–85; < 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 + the combining form -statēs, from histánai “to make stand.”) Compare Greekprostátēs “one who stands in front, ruler,” in medical usage “the gland lying in front, the prostate”
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for testes

British Dictionary definitions for testes (1 of 2)

testes

/ (ˈtɛstiːz) /

noun

the plural of testis

British Dictionary definitions for testes (2 of 2)

testis

/ (ˈtɛstɪs) /

noun plural -tes (-tiːz)

another word for testicle

Word Origin for testis

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

Word Origin and History for testes

testis

n.

(plural testes), 1704, from Latin testis "testicle," usually regarded as a special application of testis "witness" (see testament), presumably because it "bears witness" to virility (cf. Greek parastates, literally "one that stands by;" and French slang témoins, literally "witnesses"). But Buck thinks Greek parastatai "testicles" has been wrongly associated with the legal sense of parastates "supporter, defender" and suggests instead parastatai in the sense of twin "supporting pillars, props of a mast," etc. Walde, meanwhile, suggests a connection between testis and testa "pot, shell, etc."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for testes

testis

[ tĕs′tĭs ]

n. pl. tes•tes (-tēz)

The male reproductive gland, the source of spermatozoa and the androgens, normally occurring paired in an external scrotum.didymus orchis
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for testes

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

Culture definitions for testes

testes

[ (tes-teez) ]

sing. testis (tes-tis)

The two organs in the male reproductive system that produce sperm and testosterone. The testes are housed in the scrotum.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.