testis

noun

tes·tis ˈte-stəs

plural testes ˈte-ˌstēz

: a typically paired male reproductive gland that produces sperm and secretes testosterone and that in most mammals is contained within the scrotum at sexual maturity

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web That medication up-regulates the body's pituitary fuels and stimulates the testes. —

Karen Pallarito, Health, 12 May 2023 The male squirrels appeared normal — their testes were nice and big — but their internal plumbing wasn’t online yet. —

John Kelly, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2023 Astronauts crushed the testes and used the sperm to fertilize eggs obtained from the female frogs. —

Anne Fadiman, Harper’s Magazine , 10 Feb. 2023 As Koreans habitually sit on the heated floor in their residential buildings, the male testis is directly exposed, and is therefore affected by the floor surface temperature. —

Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 1 Feb. 2011 The right testis was not visualized in the scrotal sac or in the right inguinal region. —

Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 31 Oct. 2013 The remaining part of the raw squid consisted of the testis and the sperm bags. —

Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 19 June 2012 And that is on the Y chromosome, there is this SRY, or a testis-determining factor, there’s a gene that causes male differentiation and the production of testes and testosterone. —

Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 27 July 2022 At six weeks, the gonad switches on the developmental pathway to become an ovary or a testis. —

Claire Ainsworth, Scientific American, 22 Oct. 2018 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'testis.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin, witness, testis

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of testis was in 1650

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Testis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/testis. Accessed 1 Jun. 2023.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

testis

noun

tes·tis ˈtes-təs

plural testes ˈtes-ˌtēz

: an oval-shaped male reproductive gland that produces sperm and secretes testosterone and that in most mammals is contained within the scrotum

Medical Definition

testis

noun

tes·tis ˈtes-təs

plural testes ˈtes-ˌtēz

: a typically paired male reproductive gland that usually consists largely of seminiferous tubules from the epithelium of which spermatozoa develop, that contains androgen-secreting Leydig cells in the interstitial tissue, that corresponds to the ovary of the female and in craniate vertebrates develops from the genital ridges of the embryo, and that in most mammals descends into the scrotum before the attainment of sexual maturity and in many cases before birth