testa

See also: Testa, testá, tèsta, tésta, and těsta

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin testa.

Noun

testa (plural testas or testae or testæ)

1. (botany) A seed coat.

   The testa develops from the tissue, the integument, originally surrounding the ovule.

   • 1840, James Scott Bowerbank, A History of the Fossil Fruits and Seeds of the London Clay, page 30:

     The seeds are furnished with a reticulated testa, very much in appearance like that of the seeds of two closely-allied pericarps in the cabinet of my friend Mr. Ward, of Wellclose-square, the names of which I have been unable to obtain, but which present strong evidence of belonging to the Malvaceæ.

   • 1969, C. W. Bennett, Seed Transmission of Plant Viruses, Alison Smith, Advances in Virus Research, Volume 14, page 224,

     In tests with the Lincoln and Virginia varieties of cowpea, Crowley (1959) found that, in plants infected with bean southern mosaic virus before blossoming, the virus was present in nearly 100% of the testae and endosperms of seeds of both varieties, but could not be detected in the embryos.

   • 1977, Commonwealth Scientific, Industrial Research Organization, Australian Journal of Plant Physiology, page 354:

     Thus, two conditions must be satisfied for the testas to have this effect: contact between the testas and the radicle, and the presence of at least half of the testas.

   • 2005, D. W. Dickson, D. De Waele, Nematode Parasites of Peanut, Michel Luc, Richard A. Sikora, John Bridge, Plant Parasitic Nematodes in Subtropical and Tropical Agriculture, page 419,

     A.^{[Aphelenchoides]} arachidis is a parasite of pods, testae, roots and hypocotyls, but not the cotyledons, embryos or other parts of the plant (Bos, 1977a; Bridge et al., 1977).

   • 2007, J. Smartt, “Evolution of American Phaseolus beans under domestication”, in Peter John Ucko, G. W. Dimbleby, editors, The Domestication and Exploitation of Plants and Animals, page 458:

     One of the most remarkable features of cultivated beans is the enormous range of testa colours and patterns which can be found.

2. (marine biology) The external calciferous shell, or endoskeleton, of an echinoderm; the test.

Anagrams

• Tates, Teats, State, teats, state, Tetas, taste, atest, aetts, Satet

Catalan

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin testa (“burned clay; baked earthenware”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [ˈtes.tə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈtes.ta]

Noun

testa f (plural testes)

1. (Empordanese) head

   Synonym: cap

2. end (of a post, plank, barrel, etc.)
3. (botany) testa (the outer layer of a seed coat)

Derived terms

• testarrada
• testarral
• testarrut
• testavirar
• testera
• testó

Related terms

• test

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [ˈtes.tə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈtes.ta]

Adjective

testa

1. feminine singular of test (“tense”)

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [ˈtɛs.tə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈtes.ta]

Verb

testa

1. inflection of testar (“to test”):
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Etymology 4

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [ˈtes.tə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈtes.ta]

Verb

testa

1. inflection of testar (“to witness”):
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “testa” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Franco-Provençal

Noun

testa (Old Beaujolais, Piemontais)

1. Alternative form of téta (“head”)

References

• testa in Lo trèsor Arpitan – on arpitan.eu

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɛs.ta/

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

testa

1. third-person singular past historic of tester

Anagrams

• états, tâtes, tétas

Galician

Etymology 1

From Old Galician-Portuguese testa (13th century, Cantigas de Santa Maria), from Latin testa (“earthen pot”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɛsta̝/

Noun

testa f (plural testas)

1. forehead
   • 1390, José Luís Pensado Tomé (ed.), Os Miragres de Santiago. Versión gallega del Códice latino del siglo XII atribuido al papa Calisto I. Madrid: C.S.I.C., page 133:

     Et avia ẽno rrostro hũu palmo et meo en longo et ẽna barua hũu palmo, et ẽno nariz hũu meo palmo; et ẽna testa hũu palmo et pouquo mais

     He had a palmspan and a half in his face, and in the beard a palmspan, and half one in the nose; and in the front he had one palmspan and a little more

   • 1434, A. López Carreira (ed.), Libro de Notas de Álvaro Afonso, doc. 90:

     os quaes roçiins era huun delles ven preto con hun signal enna testa et ho outro ben çerbyño con huna mancha enna testa

     one of that horses was really dark, with a signal in his forehead, and the other was tawny with a spot in his forehead

   Synonym: fronte

2. (figurative) the whole head of a person
   • 1697, several authors, Fiestas Minervales, Santiago: Antonio Frayz, page 34:

     Dubido do que farei / Para saír desta enfeita / Maxino roer as uñas / E bourar mui ben na testa

     I'm dubious on what to do / To exit of this preparation / I imagine gnawing my nails / And ably beating my head

   Synonyms: cabeza, cachola, croca

3. limit of a property

   Synonyms: derrego, estremeiro, límite, lindeiro

4. fore

   Synonym: fronte

5. lid

   Synonym: tello

Derived terms

• entestar
• testalán
• testán
• testar

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtesta̝/

Adjective

testa f sg

1. feminine singular of testo

Etymology 3

Verb

testa

1. inflection of testar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

References

• Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “testa”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• “testa” in Xavier Varela Barreiro & Xavier Gómez Guinovart: Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval. SLI / Grupo TALG / ILG, 2006-2016.
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “testa”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “testa”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “testa”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɛ.sta/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛsta
• Hyphenation: tè‧sta

Etymology 1

From Latin testa. The semantic development is earthen pot → skull → head.

Noun

testa f (plural teste, diminutive testìna or testolìna or (uncommon, usually of butchered animals) testicciòla or (literary, uncommon, usually of butchered animals) testicciuòla, augmentative testóna or (with specialized meanings) testóne m, pejorative testàccia, derogatory testùccia)

1. (anatomy) head
2. (numismatics) obverse (of a coin)
3. (anatomy) head (of a bone)
4. (rail transport, singular only, uncountable) head (of a train), the first car(s)

   Antonym: coda

   La prima classe è in testa al treno ― The first class is at the head of the train

Synonyms

• (part of the body): capo

Derived terms

• a testa
• fuori di testa
• mal di testa
• montarsi la testa
• testa a testa
• testa calda
• testa d'uovo
• testa di cazzo
• testa di ponte
• testa di rapa
• testa di serie
• testa dura
• testa matta
• testa o croce
• testacoda
• testata
• testiera
• titoli di testa

 

Descendants

• → Alemannic German: Teste
• → Spanish: testa

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

testa

1. inflection of testare:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Anagrams

• Setta, setta, state

Latin

Etymology

Unknown:

• Perhaps as if tosta, from torreō (“to burn, parch”).
• Perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *tₔtḱ-t-, from *tetḱ- (“to create, produce”) (whence Latin texō (“to weave”)). Thus cognate with Middle Persian tšt' (tašt).
• Borrowed from a substrate language, as words for vessels often are.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈtes.ta/, [ˈt̪ɛs̠t̪ä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈtes.ta/, [ˈt̪ɛst̪ä]

Noun

testa f (genitive testae); first declension

1. a piece of burned clay, brick, tile
2. (transferred sense) a piece of baked earthenware
   1. an earthen pot, pitcher, jug, urn
   2. a sherd, potsherd
   3. a piece of bone
   4. ostracon (= ὄστρακον (óstrakon))
   5. the shell of shellfish or of testaceous animals, shellfish
   6. (Late Latin) skull

      Synonyms: calva, calvāria, crānium

3. a sort of clapping with the flat of the hands (as if with two tiles), in token of applause, invented by Nero

Declension

First-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	testa	testae
Genitive	testae	testārum
Dative	testae	testīs
Accusative	testam	testās
Ablative	testā	testīs
Vocative	testa	testae

Derived terms

• testū/ testum
• testūdō
• testula

Related terms

• testuātium
• testūdineātus
• testūdineus

Descendants

• Balkan Romance:
  • Romanian: țeastă
• Italo-Romance:
  • Italian: testa
    • → Alemannic German: Teste
    • → Spanish: testa
  • Sicilian: testa
• Padanian:
  • Friulian: teste
  • Istriot: tiesta
  • Old Ligurian: tiesta
    • Ligurian: tésta
  • Romansch: testa
  • Venetan: testa
• Northern Gallo-Romance:
  • Franco-Provençal: téta
  • Old French: teste
    • Champenois: téte
    • Middle French: teste
      • French: tête
    • Norman: tête, teet (Sark)
    • Walloon: tiesse
• Southern Gallo-Romance:
  • Catalan: testa, Catalan: test
  • Occitan: tèsta, testa (Limousin)
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Asturian: tiesta
  • Leonese: tiesta
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: testa
    • Galician: testa
    • Portuguese: testa
  • Old Spanish: tiesta

References

• “testa”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “testa”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• testa in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• testa in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “testa”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• testa in Ramminger, Johann (2016 July 16 (last accessed)) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[1], pre-publication website, 2005-2016
• “testa”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin
• Cravens, Thomas D. Cross-language evidence in etymology: The origin of 'testa' as 'head' in Romance. Neuphilologische Mitteilungen. 83: 53–60.

Latvian

Noun

testa m

1. genitive singular of tests

Lombard

Alternative forms

• tèsta (Classical Milanese Orthography)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɛsta/ (Milanese)

Noun

testa f

1. head

Norwegian Bokmål

Alternative forms

• testet

Verb

testa

1. inflection of teste:
   1. simple past
   2. past participle

Occitan

Noun

testa f (plural testas)

1. Alternative form of tèsta

Old Occitan

Etymology

From Latin testa.

Noun

testa f (oblique plural testas, nominative singular testa, nominative plural testas)

1. head

Descendants

• Occitan: tèsta, testa (Limousin)

Portuguese

testa

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈtɛs.tɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈtɛs.tɐ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈtɛʃ.tɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈtɛs.ta/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈtɛʃ.tɐ/

• Audio (Brazil):

  (file)

• Rhymes: (Brazil) -ɛstɐ, (Portugal, Rio de Janeiro) -ɛʃtɐ
• Hyphenation: tes‧ta

Etymology 1

From Old Galician-Portuguese testa, from Latin testa.

Noun

testa f (plural testas)

1. forehead (part of the face above the eyebrows and below the hairline)

Derived terms

• de graça, até injeção na testa
• testa de ferro
• testão
• testeira
• testinha
• testudo

 

Related terms

• tête-à-tête
• tostão

 

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

testa

1. inflection of testar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “testa”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2024

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French tester.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /teˈsta/

Verb

a testa (third-person singular present testează, past participle testat) 1st conj.

1. (transitive) to test; to try

   Synonym: încerca

Conjugation

    conjugation of testa (first conjugation, -ez- infix)

infinitive			a testa
gerund			testând
past participle			testat
number		singular			plural
person		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		eu	tu	el/ea	noi	voi	ei/ele
	present	testez	testezi	testează	testăm	testați	testează
	imperfect	testam	testai	testa	testam	testați	testau
	simple perfect	testai	testași	testă	testarăm	testarăți	testară
	pluperfect	testasem	testaseși	testase	testaserăm	testaserăți	testaseră
subjunctive		eu	tu	el/ea	noi	voi	ei/ele
	present	să testez	să testezi	să testeze	să testăm	să testați	să testeze
imperative		—	tu	—	—	voi	—
	affirmative		testează			testați
	negative		nu testa			nu testați

References

• testa in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)

Romansch

Etymology

From Latin testa (“pot”).

Noun

testa f (plural testas)

1. (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Surmiran, Puter, Vallader) head

Usage notes

In Rumantsch Grischun, the literary standard language, testa is used in the figurative sense, and chau in the anatomical sense. Usage differs somewhat, however, between dialects.

Synonyms

• (Rumantsch Grischun) chau
• (Sursilvan) tgau
• (Sutsilvan) tgieu
• (Surmiran) tgea
• (Puter) cho
• (Vallader) cheu

Sicilian

Etymology

From Latin testa (“earthen pot”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t̪ʲɛs(ʃ)ta/
• Hyphenation: te‧sta

Noun

testa f (plural testi)

1. (anatomy) head
2. intelligent person
3. intelligence

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtesta/ [ˈt̪es.t̪a]
• Rhymes: -esta
• Syllabification: tes‧ta

Etymology 1

From Latin testa. Compare the inherited Old Spanish tiesta.

Noun

testa f (plural testas)

1. head
2. test (shell or endoskeleton of an echinoderm or certain plankton)

Derived terms

• testa coronada
• testa de ferro, testaferro

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

testa

1. inflection of testar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “testa”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

Swedish

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

testa (present testar, preterite testade, supine testat, imperative testa)

1. to try, to attempt; (to see if a specific action is possible; also to see if a device works properly)

Conjugation

Conjugation of testa (weak)

	Active		Passive
Infinitive	testa		testas
Supine	testat		testats
Imperative	testa		—
Imper. plural1	testen		—
	Present	Past	Present	Past
Indicative	testar	testade	testas	testades
Ind. plural1	testa	testade	testas	testades
Subjunctive2	teste	testade	testes	testades
	Participles
Present participle	testande
Past participle	testad
1 Archaic. 2 Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

Further reading

• testa in Svensk ordbok.

Anagrams

• etsat, ettas, satte, setat