integument

[ in-teg-yuh-muhnt ]

/ ɪnˈtɛg yə mənt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR integument ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a natural covering, as a skin, shell, or rind.

any covering, coating, enclosure, etc.

RELATED WORDS

coat, hide, pelt, envelope, skin, aril

Nearby words

Origin of integument

First recorded in 1605–15, integument is from the Latin word integumentum a covering. See in-², tegument

SYNONYMS FOR integument

1. cortex, involucre, involucrum.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR integument ON THESAURUS.COM

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for integument

A remarkable cord of cells having a position just below the integument occurs on each side of the head.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 5|Various
Along the outer side of the foot is a thin extension of the integument.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia|Frank Evers Beddard
The process is frequent, the integument separates entire, and is almost colorless.
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. V, No. XXV, June, 1852|Various
Those of the surface or integument of the body, with its appendages.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 392, July 7, 1883|Various

The tongue or taste organ is but the integument folded inwards and a little modified.
The Gospel Of Evolution|Edward Aveling

British Dictionary definitions for integument

integument

/ (ɪnˈtɛɡjʊmənt) /

noun

the protective layer around an ovule that becomes the seed coat

the outer protective layer or covering of an animal, such as skin or a cuticle

Derived Formsintegumental or integumentary, adjective

Word Origin for integument

C17: from Latin integumentum, from tegere to cover

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for integument

integument

1610s, from Latin integumentum "a covering," from integere "to cover over," from in- "in, upon" (see in- (2)) + tegere "to cover" (see stegosaurus).

Medicine definitions for integument

integument

[ ĭn-tĕg′yu-mənt ]

n.

The enveloping membrane of the body, including the dermis, epidermis, hair, nails, and sebaceous, sweat, and mammary glands.

The membrane, capsule, skin, or other covering of a body or a part.

Related formsin•teg′u•men′ta•ry (-mĕn′tə-rē, -mĕn′trē) adj.

Science definitions for integument

integument

[ ĭn-tĕg′yu-mənt ]

A natural outer covering of an animal or plant or of one of its parts, such as skin, a shell, or the part of a plant ovule that develops into a seed coat.