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.
Under that framework, transgender women had to complete at least one year of testosterone suppression treatment before competing on a womenâs team. — Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026 The meibomian glands, which produce the oil layer of tears, are affected by the drop in estrogen, progesterone and testosterone that begins in perimenopause. — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026 Johns Hopkins Medicine explains that the meibomian glands, which produce the oil layer of tears, are affected by the drop in estrogen, progesterone and testosterone that begins in perimenopause. — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026 New data suggest that a quarter of American servicemen may have low testosterone. — Caroline Mimbs Nyce, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026 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 27 Oct. 2026.

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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

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about testosterone

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