tegumentum

Latin

Alternative forms

• tegimentum, tegmentum

Etymology

From tegere (“to cover, clothe”) +‎ -mentum (derivational suffix).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /te.ɡuˈmen.tum/, [t̪ɛɡʊˈmɛn̪t̪ʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /te.ɡuˈmen.tum/, [t̪eɡuˈmɛn̪t̪um]

Noun

tegumentum n (genitive tegumentī); second declension

1. cover, covering
   • c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico 2.21:

     Temporis tanta fuit exiguitas hostiumque tam paratus ad dimicandum animus ut non modo ad insignia accommodanda sed etiam ad galeas induendas scutisque tegimenta detrahenda tempus defuerit.

     Such was the shortness of the time, and so determined was the mind of the enemy on fighting, that time was wanting not only for affixing the military insignia, but even for putting on the helmets and drawing off the covers from the shields.

2. clothing
3. armour
4. shell or husk (of an animal, fruit etc.)

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	tegumentum	tegumenta
Genitive	tegumentī	tegumentōrum
Dative	tegumentō	tegumentīs
Accusative	tegumentum	tegumenta
Ablative	tegumentō	tegumentīs
Vocative	tegumentum	tegumenta

Related terms

• integumentum
• tegumen

Descendants

• → English: tegument
• → Esperanto: tegmento
• → French: tégument
• → Ido: tegumento
• → Italian: tegumento
• → Spanish: tegumento

References

• “tegumentum”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• tegumentum in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.