testosterone

[tes-tos-tuh-rohn]

noun

Biochemistry. the sex hormone, C19H28O2, secreted by the testes, that stimulates the development of male sex organs, secondary sexual traits, and sperm.

Pharmacology. a commercially prepared form of this compound, originally isolated from bull's testes and now also produced synthetically, used in medicine chiefly for treatment of testosterone deficiency and for certain gynecological conditions.

Origin of testosterone

1930–35; testo- (combining form of testis) + ster(ol) + -one

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for testosterone

Contemporary Examples of testosterone

The hormonal fuel for both impulses is the same: testosterone.
Why These Marines Love ‘Frozen’—and Why It Matters
Aaron B. O’Connell
June 27, 2014
First words, then shoves, were exchanged, and finally, testosterone thick in the air, a few blows were thrown.
Ben Carson Was a Role Model for Black Teens Until He Sold Out to the Right
Joshua DuBois
March 16, 2014
The man, a walking cloud of testosterone, says this with utmost sincerity.
This Arm Wrestling Reality Show Will Make You Beg for Mercy
Kevin Fallon
February 25, 2014
The logic of letting people get back to their natural level of testosterone,” Yesalis suggests, “makes common medical sense.
Reconsidering the War on Steroids
Jonathan Miller
September 21, 2013
Research has shown that an increase in testosterone production occurs within people and animals at the start of competition.
What in My Brain Makes Me So Loyal to My Hopeless Sports Team?
Kevin Fixler
June 17, 2013

Historical Examples of testosterone

"We've managed to get some testosterone from a blond homunculus," he reported.
The Sky Is Falling
Lester del Rey

British Dictionary definitions for testosterone

testosterone

noun

a potent steroid hormone secreted mainly by the testes. It can be extracted from the testes of animals or synthesized and used to treat androgen deficiency or promote anabolism. Formula: C 19 H 28 O 2

Word Origin for testosterone

C20: from testis + sterol + -one

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 testosterone

male sex hormone, 1935, from German Testosteron (1935), coined from a presumed comb. form of Latin testis "testicle" (see testis) + ster(ol) (see steroid) + chemical ending -one.

testosterone in Medicine

testosterone

[tĕs-tŏs′tə-rōn′]

n.

A steroid hormone and the most potent naturally occurring androgen that is formed by the interstitial cells of the testes, and possibly by the ovary and adrenal cortex, may be produced in nonglandular tissues from precursors such as androstenedione, and is used in the treatment of hypogonadism, cryptorchism, carcinomas, and menorrhagia.

testosterone in Science

testosterone

[tĕs-tŏs′tə-rōn′]

A steroid hormone that is the most potent naturally occurring androgen and that regulates the development of the male reproductive system and male secondary sex characteristics. Testosterone is produced mainly in the testes and is also used as a drug in the treatment of certain medical disorders. Chemical formula: C19H28O2.

testosterone in Culture

testosterone

[(tes-tos-tuh-rohn)]

A male hormone that governs secondary sex characteristics. It is produced in the testes.