from
The 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]