testis
Americannoun
noun
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
Four additional genes are active only in the testis and are essential for sperm production.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 20, 2026
Previous research has shown that STK33 is enriched in the testis and is specifically required for the formation of functional sperm.
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
Seasonal changes in the testis of the musk turtle, Sternotherus odoratus L. Journ.
From Natural History of the Ornate Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz by Legler, John M.
There is an element of truth behind these claims - environmental pollutants and heating the testes can impact sperm quality.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
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
Young rats exposed to methoxychlor had extraordinarily small testes.
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.
