testa

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

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