testis

[ tes-tis ]

/ ˈtɛs tɪs /

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See synonyms for: testis / testes on Thesaurus.com

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.

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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 Greek prostátēs “one who stands in front, ruler,” in medical usage “the gland lying in front, the prostate ”

Words nearby testis

testimonial, testimonialize, testimony, testimony meeting, testing station, testis, test-market, test marketing, test match, teston, testosterone

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use testis in a sentence

Sperm are produced in the testes and stored in an adjacent organ called the epididymis.
A New Sperm-Blocking Male Birth Control Method Is Being Put to the Test|Vanessa Bates Ramirez|November 16, 2022|Singularity Hub
Part of the challenge is that for the precursor stem cells to develop into fully matured egg or sperm cells, they must be placed in an environment mimicking that of newly developing ovaries or testes.
Inside the race to make human sex cells in the lab|Jessica Hamzelou|August 23, 2022|MIT Technology Review
In humans, males and females have the same set of about 60 sex-determining genes, which can create either testes or ovaries.
Lucy Cooke’s new book ‘Bitch’ busts myths about female animals|Erika Engelhaupt|June 14, 2022|Science News
If fully functional, these basic components of reproduction can merge into a fertilized egg inside a test tube, be transplanted into a surrogate, and birth a new generation without ever seeing testes or ovaries.
Scientists Bred Healthy Mice Using Artificial Eggs and Ovaries Made From Stem Cells|Shelly Fan|July 27, 2021|Singularity Hub

Chimps have also evolved in the last millions of years, and the main difference between them and other ancestors seems to be with mating-related genes involving testes and sperm competition.
Humans Are One Mixed-Up Ape - Facts So Romantic|Phil Jaekl|July 9, 2021|Nautilus
A moderately enlarged testis (probably regressing) was noted in the specimen from Pisté, on July 21.
Summer Birds From the Yucatan Peninsula|Erwin E. Klaas
Et hunc ipsa testis hæc audisse recordata est et stupefacta fuit.
The Life of Joan of Arc, Vol. 1 and 2 (of 2)|Anatole France
Others imagine that the citron is intended, whose shape makes it an emblem of the testis.
Ancient Pagan and Modern Christian Symbolism|Thomas Inman
The testis is rounded, and consists of a mass of cells, on an average 1/5000th of an inch in diameter.
A Monograph on the Sub-class Cirripedia (Volume 2 of 2)|Charles Darwin
The eye lies on the line of junction between the testis and the vesicula seminalis, and on their ventral side.
A Monograph on the Sub-class Cirripedia (Volume 2 of 2)|Charles Darwin

British Dictionary definitions for testis

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

Scientific definitions for testis

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.

testis

Origin of testis

Words nearby testis

Words related to testis

How to use testis in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for testis

Word Origin for testis

Scientific definitions for testis