testa

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: tes=ta

CIDE DICTIONARY

testa, n. [L. testa a piece of burned clay, a broken piece of earthenware, a shell. See Test a cupel.].

•  The external hard or firm covering of many invertebrate animals.  [1913 Webster]

  " The test of crustaceans and insects is composed largely of chitin; in mollusks it is composed chiefly of calcium carbonate, and is called the shell."  [1913 Webster]
•  The outer integument of a seed; the episperm, or spermoderm.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

testa, n. (pl. testae) Bot. a seed-coat.

Etymology

L (as TEST(2))