testosterone

noun

tes·​tos·​ter·​one te-ˈstä-stə-ˌrōn 

1

: a hormone that is a hydroxy steroid ketone C₁₉H₂₈O₂ produced especially by the testes or made synthetically and that is responsible for inducing and maintaining male secondary sex characters

2

: qualities (such as brawn and aggressiveness) usually associated with males : manliness

Examples of testosterone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One protester, West Virginia resident and trans activist Ash Orr, took his prescribed dose of testosterone outside the steps of the Supreme Court, as the justices heard oral arguments for and against Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors. —Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 5 Dec. 2024

Surgery may be recommended if there is pain or signs of infertility or other complications such as low testosterone or a groin hernia. —Josephine Hessert, Verywell Health, 1 Dec. 2024

Andropause: Debunking ‘The Male Menopause’ Myth By Jess Thomson Science Reporter 2 Contrary to popular belief, having higher levels of testosterone doesn't necessarily make men have a higher libido. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2024

In primates, a similar pattern has been observed, with competition linked to a spike in testosterone in males under threat of losing a mate. —New Atlas, 26 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Testosteron, from Latin testēs testes + German -o- -o- + -steron -sterone

Note: The name was introduced by the Hungarian pharmacologists Karoly Gyula David (1905-45) and János Freud (1901-48), the Dutch endocrinologist Elisabeth Dingemanse (1886-1952), and the German-born Dutch physician and pharmacologist Ernst Laqueur (1880-1947) (all affiliated with the Pharmaco-Therapeutic Laboratory of the University of Amsterdam) in "Über krystallinisches männliches Hormon aus Hoden (Testosteron), wirksamer als aus Harn oder aus Cholesterin bereitetes Androsteron," Zeitschrift für physiologische Chemie, Band 233 (1935), pp. 281-83.

First Known Use

1935, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

testosterone

noun

tes·​tos·​ter·​one te-ˈstäs-tə-ˌrōn 

: a male hormone produced by the testes that causes the development of the male reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics

Medical Definition

testosterone

noun

tes·​tos·​ter·​one te-ˈstäs-tə-ˌrōn 

: a male hormone that is a crystalline hydroxy steroid ketone C₁₉H₂₈O₂ produced primarily by the testes or made synthetically and that is the main androgen responsible for inducing and maintaining male secondary sex characteristics see androgel, axiron