Weird Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Balls

The word avocado actually derives from the Aztec word for testicles. 

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In the Middle Ages, men who wanted sons would sometimes have their left testicle chopped off because they thought the right testicle made male sperm, and the left made female.

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Testicle derives from the Latin word testis, meaning ‘witness’.

In pre-biblical times men sometimes placed their hand on another man’s testicles when swearing an oath, because the testicles gave witness to a man’s virility.

And, in Roman times, men placed their right hand on their balls before giving testimony in court, the reason being having testicles supposedly made them whole (as opposed to women and eunuchs who were not allowed to testify).

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The testicles make 200million sperm every day.

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In 16th century Europe, women weren’t allowed to sing in Roman Catholic church choirs so of course the logical thing to do instead was cut off boys’ balls before their voices broke.

These boys, called castrati, were appreciated by classical composers such as Mozart and some became major celebrities.

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Balls can grow up to twice the size during sex.

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The most popular theory on why we have our testicles outside our bodies is because a cooler temperature improves sperm production. However, many animals including elephants and anteaters have their balls all up inside their body, being cosy and stuff.

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Most men’s left testicle hangs lower than the right. This is because being unsymmetrical means they take up less space, it also potentially stops them clattering into each other like an angry S&M pendulum.

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The word orchid comes from the Greek ‘orkhis’, meaning testicle, because the plant’s main roots look quite a lot like wedding tackle.

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The largest scrotum on record belonged to 49-year-old Wesley Warren, who died from a heart attack last year.

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