testosterone

noun

tes·​tos·​ter·​one te-ˈstä-stə-ˌrōn How to pronounce testosterone (audio)
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
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For example, females born in litters with many males become masculinized, likely from the high testosterone levels in the mother’s uterus. Discover Magazine, 24 Oct. 2024 Of course, hormones peak in November, but by late October, testosterone levels are on a sharp incline, nearing the top. Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 24 Oct. 2024 Higher levels of testosterone may cause many problems. Femi Aremu, Verywell Health, 11 Oct. 2024 Everything to know What are the symptoms of low testosterone? David Oliver, USA TODAY, 16 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for testosterone 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of testosterone was in 1935

Dictionary Entries Near testosterone

Cite this Entry

“Testosterone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/testosterone. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

testosterone

noun
tes·​tos·​ter·​one te-ˈstäs-tə-ˌrōn How to pronounce testosterone (audio)
: 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 How to pronounce testosterone (audio)
: 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

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