testosterone

IPA/teˈstɒstərəʊn/
KK[tˌɛstˈɑstɚˌon]IPA/teˈstɑːstərəʊn/

testosterone — noun

1. a hormone made mostly by the testicles that helps the male body mature, especial

1.nounC1
Definition

a hormone made mostly by the testicles that helps the male body mature, especially in sexual development and other adult physical changes

Example

During puberty, rising testosterone helps boys' voices become deeper.

rising testosterone during puberty

The doctor tested Aaron's testosterone after months of unusual tiredness.

test testosterone after ongoing symptoms

Common collocations
  • testosterone levels
  • low testosterone
  • high testosterone
  • raise testosterone
Synonyms
  • androgen

    is more technical and broader, because it names the whole class of male sex hormones rather than this exact one

  • male hormone

    is a general description and may refer to testosterone or to male sex hormones as a group

Grammar Patterns

high testosterone levels

measure testosterone in the blood

raise testosterone with drugs

Usage Note

Usually treated as an uncountable noun. It often appears with words such as level, measure, raise, or lower in medical, sports, and biology discussions.

Common Mistakes

The test showed a high testosterone.
The test showed high testosterone levels.
Testosterone is usually treated as an uncountable substance noun, so we normally use it without a or an.

Common collocations

Nouns

  • testosterone levels
  • testosterone production
  • testosterone test

Adverbs

Phrases

  • measure testosterone levels
  • low testosterone
  • raise testosterone naturally

Prepositions

  • testosterone in the blood
  • testosterone during puberty

Etymology

First known use

1935

1935, in the meaning defined at sense 1