LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinethird declension

testis1

testis m or f (genitive testis)
Classical[ˈtɛs.tɪs]Ecclesiastical[ˈtɛs.tis]
№ 741 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. femininemasculinewitness
  2. femininemasculineone who testifies or attests

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

quī quod vīdit in iūdiciō nārrat.
testis -is m/f — in Mille Verba, Urbs et Aedificia

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativetestistestēs
genitivetestistestium
dativetestītestibus
accusativetestemtestēs
testīs
ablativetestetestibus
vocativetestistestēs

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

testis gravis
an important witness.
testis locuples
a witness worthy of all credit.
aliquo teste uti
to use some one's evidence.
aliquem testem adhibere
to use some one's evidence.
aliquem testem producere
to produce as a witness.
testem prodire (in aliquem)
to appear as witness against a person.
testis est, testatur, declarat
this shows, proves...
testibus teneri, convictum esse
to be convicted by some one's evidence.
3 more phrases
testis incorruptus atque integer
an impartial witness.
aliquem testem dare, edere, proferre
to produce as a witness.
aliquem testem alicuius rei (in aliquid) citare
to cite a person to give evidence on a matter.

testis, is, comm. (
I. neutr. form: caelum teste vocat, Alcim. 6, 576), one who attests any thing (orally or in writing), a witness (cf. superstes): testes vinctos attines, Plaut. Truc. 4, 3, 63: pluris est oculatus testis unus quam auriti decem, id. ib. 2, 6, 8: deos absentes testes memoras, id. Merc. 3, 4, 42: vosque, dii, testes facio, Liv. 1, 59, 1: deos hominesque se testes facere, id. 34, 11, 8: deūm, quos testes foederum invocabant consules, id. 8, 6, 1: ut manus ad caelum tendens deos testes ingrati animi Magnetum invocaret, id. 35, 31, 13; 39, 51, 12; 41, 25, 4; Curt. 4, 10, 33: apud me ut apud bonum judicem argumenta plus quam testes valent, Cic. Rep. 1, 38, 59: si negem ... quo me teste convinces? id. Phil. 2, 4, 8: satis idonei testes et conscii, id. Font. 7, 16; so, cupidi, conjurati et ab religione remoti, id. ib. 10, 21: religiosus, id. Vatin. 1, 1: incorrupti atque integri, id. Fin. 1, 21, 71: graves, leves, id. Quint. 23, 75: locupletissimi, id. Brut. 93, 322 et saep.: dabo tibi testis nec nimis antiquos nec ullo modo barbaros, id. Rep. 1, 37, 58; so, testes dare in aliquam rem, id. Quint. 23, 75: proferre, id. Balb. 18, 41: adhibere, id. Fin. 2, 21, 67: citare in aliquam rem, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 59, §146: ut iis testibus in summā pecuniae uteretur, Caes. B. C. 3, 105; cf. id. B. G. 1, 14: testibus uti, Cic. Verr. 1, 18, 55; Quint. 5, 7, 9; 9, 2, 98. — With dependent-clause: testis faciet ilico, Vendidisse me, Ter. Ad. 2, 1, 49: iis utimini testibus appropinquare eorum adventum, Caes. B. G. 7, 77, cf. id. B. C. 3, 90. — Fem.: Venus Cyrenensis, testem te testor mihi, Plaut. Rud. 5, 2, 51: teste deā, Ov. H. 16 (17), 124: nutrix testis fida doloris, Sen. Oct. 76: musa mea, Ov. P. 3, 9, 50: inductā teste in senatu, Haec, inquit, etc., Suet. Claud. 40.—Of things: sidera sunt testes et matutina pruina, Prop. 2, 9, 41: quid debeas, o Roma Neronibus, Testis Metaurum flumen et Hasdrubal Devictus, etc., Hor. C. 4, 4, 38: testis mecum est anulus, Ter. Ad. 3, 2, 49.—
II. Transf., an eye-witness, spectator, i. q. arbiter (rare; cf. also conscius): facies bona teste caret, Ov. A. A. 3, 398: puduitque gementem, Illo teste mori, Luc. 9, 887: ac lunā teste moventur, Juv. 6, 311.

Origins

For *terstis, from Proto-Italic *tristos, from Proto-Indo-European *tristh₂s ("a third party standing", after the two parties to a contract or dispute), from *tréyes (“three”) and *steh₂- (“to stand”). Compare Oscan trstus (“witnesses”, nominative plural).

Descendants
  • Italianteste
  • Welshtystfrom Proto-Brythonic *tɨst
  • Irishteistfrom Old Irish testas
  • Scottish Gaelicteistfrom Old Irish testas
noun · masculinethird declension
testis2
testis m (genitive testis)
№ 741 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. masculinetesticle
    Si posthac prehendero ego te hīc, carebis testibus.If, after this time, I catch you here again, you will be missing your testicles.c. 206 BCE, Plautus, Miles Gloriosus 5.1.34

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativetestistestēs
genitivetestistestium
dativetestītestibus
accusativetestemtestēs
testīs
ablativetestetestibus
vocativetestistestēs

testis, is, m.,
I. a testicle, Plaut. Mil. 5, 28; 5, 33: dexter asini testis in vino potus, Plin. 28, 19, 80, § 261: testes pecori ad crura decidui, id. 11, 49, 110, § 263; so in plur., Lucil. ap. Non. 235, 5; Hor. S. 1, 2, 45.—In a pun, with 1. testis: quod amas, amato testibus praesentibus, Plaut. Curc. 1, 1, 31: magnis testibus ista res agetur, Auct. Priap. 2: cf. integritatis, Phaedr. 3, 11, 5.

Origins

Of disputed origin, perhaps either: * related to testa (“pot, shell”); or * from some particular use of testis (“witness”), as in "bearing witness to the sex act".

Elsewhere
  • Englishtestis
  • Italianteste
  • Indonesiantestis
  • Turkishtestis
Serbo-Croatian
  • Cyrillic scriptтестис
  • Latin scripttȅstis

Quick answers

What does testis mean in Latin?
testis, a noun, means “witness; one who testifies or attests”.
What is the genitive of testis?
The genitive singular is testis. testis is masculine, third declension.
How do you pronounce testis?
In classical Latin, [ˈtɛs.tɪs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈtɛs.tis].