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tegmen

[ teg-muhn ]
/ ˈtɛg mən /
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noun, plural teg·mi·na [teg-muh-nuh]. /ˈtɛg mə nə/.
a cover, covering, or integument.
Botany. the delicate inner integument or coat of a seed.
(of certain orthopterous insects) one of a pair of leathery forewings that forms a protective covering for the hind wings.
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Origin of tegmen

1800–10; <Latin: covering (also tegumen, tegimen with anaptyctic vowel), equivalent to teg(ere) to cover + -men noun suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM tegmen

teg·mi·nal [teg-muh-nl], /ˈtɛg mə nl/, adjectivesub·teg·mi·nal, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tegmen in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tegmen

tegmen
/ (ˈtɛɡmən) /

noun plural -mina (-mɪnə)
either of the leathery forewings of the cockroach and related insects
the delicate inner covering of a seed
any similar covering or layer

Derived forms of tegmen

tegminal, adjective

Word Origin for tegmen

C19: from Latin: a cover, variant of tegimen, 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

Scientific definitions for tegmen

tegmen
[ tĕg′mən ]

A covering or integument, such as the tough leathery forewing of certain insects or the inner coat of a seed.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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