Tegument

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The natural outer layer or skin covering an animal or plant body
2. A living organism's natural protective outer surface, such as skin, shell, or bark
3. The outer integument or covering that forms the natural boundary of a creature or plant

Etymology: "Tegument" entered English in late Middle English as a direct borrowing of Latin "tegumentum", meaning "a cover". That Latin noun was built from the verb "tegere", "to cover or clothe", plus the suffix "-mentum", which forms nouns naming a result or instrument, so the word has always meant something like "the thing that covers". Its close relative "integument", which adds the prefix "in-", shares the same root and is the more familiar of the pair.

Synonyms: skin, covering, integument, membrane