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integument

[in-teg-yuh-muh nt]
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noun
  1. a natural covering, as a skin, shell, or rind.
  2. any covering, coating, enclosure, etc.
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Origin of integument

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

Synonyms

See more synonyms for integument on Thesaurus.com
1. cortex, involucre, involucrum.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for integument

Historical Examples

  • Its freedom from causing great shrinking or shrivelling of the integument.

    Practical Taxidermy

    Montagu Browne

  • Their integument is hardened with plates or particles of carbonate of lime.

    The Elements of Geology

    William Harmon Norton

  • Man alone, the last in the series, was created from the integument of a dog.

    The Indian in his Wigwam

    Henry R. Schoolcraft

  • The integument of the roof of the mouth was smooth and shining.

  • Ex., the integument into which the valves of Chitones are inserted.

    A Conchological Manual

    George Brettingham Sowerby

British Dictionary definitions for integument

integument

noun
  1. the protective layer around an ovule that becomes the seed coat
  2. the outer protective layer or covering of an animal, such as skin or a cuticle
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Derived Formsintegumental or integumentary, adjective

Word Origin

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

n.

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

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
integument in Medicine

integument

(ĭn-tĕg′yu-mənt)
n.
  1. The enveloping membrane of the body, including the dermis, epidermis, hair, nails, and sebaceous, sweat, and mammary glands.
  2. The membrane, capsule, skin, or other covering of a body or a part.
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Related formsin•teg′u•men′ta•ry (-mĕn′tə-rē, -mĕn′trē) adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
integument in Science

integument

[ĭn-tĕg′yu-mənt]
  1. 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.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.