Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “testosterone” come from?

I appreciate the careful setup, but I need to flag that this chain appears incomplete or problematic for writing an accurate etymology sentence. The chain provided (English testis → English sterol → Ancient Greek -ο-) doesn't form a coherent etymological path for *testosterone*. Testosterone is a blend/compound of "testis" + "sterol," but the chain doesn't explain how sterol itself derives from Ancient Greek, and "-ο-" (a single vowel) isn't a meaningful etymological source. To write an accurate one-sentence etymology, I would need: - The complete chain for *sterol* (which likely goes back through German *Sterol* or similar to cholesterol components) - Clarification of what "-ο-" represents in this context - Confirmation of the meaning of testosterone (male hormone/androgenic steroid) Could you verify the chain? Once it's complete

testosterone (English): A steroid hormone that stimulates development of...

Definitions

  1. A steroid hormone that stimulates development of...

Ancestry of “testosterone”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English‐o‐—
2English-prim—
3EnglishtrimethoprimA synthetic antibiotic used to treat malaria and...
4EnglishtrimethoxyThree methoxy groups in a molecule
5EnglishmethoxyThe univalent radical CH-O- derived from methanol
6Englishoxy-Sharp, keen, acute, pungent, acid; Concerning...
7EnglishoxygenThe chemical element with an atomic number of 8...
8Frenchoxygèneoxygen; inflection of oxygéner: ##...
9Ancient Greekγένοςoffspring, descendant; family, clan; nation, race
10Proto-Hellenicgénosfamily; race
11Proto-Indo-Europeanǵénh₁osrace, lineage
12Proto-Indo-Europeanǵenh₁-to produce, to beget, to give birth

Words derived from “testosterone”

  • epitestosterone
  • nortestosterone
  • ketotestosterone
  • hydroxytestosterone
  • testosteronic
  • testosteronal
  • testosteroned
  • hypertestosteronemia
  • hypertestosteronemic
  • testosteronally
  • testosteron
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- →