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.
While men have a 24-hour cycle with their testosterone peaking early in the day and slowing down in the evening, women have a 28 day reproductive hormone cycle. —Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025 For cisgender women, testosterone generally affects bone and muscle health, mood and energy, the menstrual cycle and fertility as well as libido. —Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 29 May 2025 Estrogen and testosterone both stimulate the production of keratin and contribute to the smooth, firm appearance of toenails and fingernails. —Catherine Moyer, Verywell Health, 22 May 2025 The first line of attack is to cut off the testosterone that feeds prostate cancer. —Gina Kolata, New York Times, 19 May 2025 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

Rhymes for testosterone

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Browse Nearby Words

testone
testosterone
test pattern
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Cite this Entry

“Testosterone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/testosterone. Accessed 8 Jun. 2025.

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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.com: Encyclopedia article about testosterone

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