testa

2 definitions found

testa - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Test \Test\, Testa \Tes"ta\, n.; pl. E. Tests, L. Testae.
     [L. testa a piece of burned clay, a broken piece of
     earthenware, a shell. See Test a cupel.]
     1. (Zool.) The external hard or firm covering of many
        invertebrate animals.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: 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]
  
     2. (Bot.) The outer integument of a seed; the episperm, or
        spermoderm.
        [1913 Webster]

testa - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  testa
      n 1: protective outer layer of seeds of flowering plants [syn:
           testa, episperm, seed coat]