tegmen

[ teg-muhn ]

noun,plural teg·mi·na [teg-muh-nuh]. /ˈtɛg mə nə/.
  1. a cover, covering, orintegument.

  2. Botany. the delicate inner integument of a seed.: Compare testa.

  1. Entomology. (in certain orthopterous insects) one of a pair of leathery forewings that forms a protective covering for the hindwings.

Origin of tegmen

1
First recorded in 1800–10; from Latin: “a covering” (also tegumen, tegimen ), from teg(ere) “to cover” + -men, noun suffix

Other words from tegmen

  • teg·mi·nal [teg-muh-nl], /ˈtɛg mə nl/, adjective
  • sub·teg·mi·nal, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for tegmen

tegmen

/ (ˈtɛɡmən) /


nounplural -mina (-mɪnə)
  1. either of the leathery forewings of the cockroach and related insects

  2. the delicate inner covering of a seed

  1. any similar covering or layer

Origin of tegmen

1
C19: from Latin: a cover, variant of tegimen, from tegere to cover

Derived forms of tegmen

  • tegminal, adjective

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

[ tĕgmən ]


  1. 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.