integument

American  

[in-teg-yuh-muhnt] / ɪnˈtɛg yə mənt /

noun

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

   Synonyms:

   involucrum, involucre, cortex

2. any covering, coating, enclosure, etc.

---

integument British  

/ ɪnˈtɛɡjʊmənt /

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

---

integument Scientific  

/ ĭn-tĕg′y-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.

---

Usage

What does integument mean? An integument is a natural coating, like skin, a shell, or a rind. The word can refer generally to any coating or covering, but it is primarily used to refer to the outer layer of natural things, like animals and plants. In humans, integument is a technical word for the skin, especially in the context of anatomy and medicine. The adjective form of integument is integumentary, which is especially used in the term integumentary system to refer to the system of the human body that includes the skin and related things, like hair and nails. Example: The integuments of animals and plants are very different, but they often serve similar purposes.

Other Word Forms

• integumental adjective

Etymology

Origin of integument

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin integumentum “covering, shield, guard”; in- ², tegument

Explanation

An integument is an outer layer, like a human's skin or a walnut's shell. Use the noun integument when you need a scientific term for an organism's protective covering. Lizards' scales are their integument, and the germ or husk of a seed is its integument. Tissues and coverings inside animals, such as the protective membranes around organs, are another kind of integument. The Latin root is integumentum, "a covering," from integere, "to cover over."

Example Sentences

Similar to a hypodermic needle, a nematode uses its stylet to pierce cells and pull out food -- in this case from the pseudoscorpion's hypodermis, part of the outer covering known as the integument.

From Science Daily • Jun. 6, 2024

The layer of sporophyte tissue that surrounds the megasporangium, and later, the embryo, is called the integument.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Several other characteristics are distinctive to mammals, including certain features of the jaw, skeleton, integument, and internal anatomy.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

The integument will develop into the seed coat after fertilization and protect the entire seed.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Verbascum prepared in olive oil or fluid petroleum has the same effect as any oil; excellent in chronic disease of the integument; negative in middle ear disease.

From New, Old, and Forgotten Remedies: Papers by Many Writers by Anshutz, Edward Pollock