testis
Americannoun
-
testes
plural
noun
-
testes
plural
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
Most importantly, mice and men with these mutations have no other defects and even have normal testis size.
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 John M. Legler
On average, the optimal temperature of the testes - where sperm is stored - should be two to four degrees lower than the average body temperature of 37 degrees.
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2026
Instead, a subtle form of natural selection within the testes appears to give certain mutations a reproductive advantage, allowing them to become more common during sperm formation.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2025
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
When young roosters were fed DDT, the testes made only 18 per cent of their normal growth; combs and wattles, dependent for their development upon the testicular hormone, were only a third the normal size.
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.
