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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Anyone can take puberty blockers, testosterone, or estrogen. —Ian Millhiser, Vox, 15 Nov. 2024 Treating conditions that may affect the brain, such as high blood pressure, sleep apnea, depression, high cholesterol, diabetes, and low testosterone may also help, according to the researchers. —Don Rauf, EverydayHealth.com, 30 Sep. 2024 This can cause small cysts to form on the ovaries, which secret androgens, such as testosterone. —Corey Whelan, Verywell Health, 4 Nov. 2024 Wins, forfeits and testosterone Some 440 girls are playing boys' sports this year, Kimmerly said, often because their school doesn't offer or can't field a full team for things like lacrosse, hockey or tennis. —Neal Rubin, Detroit Free Press, 31 Oct. 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

testone

testosterone

test pattern

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Testosterone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/testosterone. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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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

More from Merriam-Webster on testosterone

Nglish: Translation of testosterone for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of testosterone for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about testosterone

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