In biology, integument is the natural covering of an organism or an organ, such as its skin, husk, shell, or rind.It derives from integumentum, which means "a covering" in Latin. In a transferred or figurative sense, it could mean a cloak or a disguise. In English "integument" is a fairly modern word, its origin having been traced back to the early seventeenth century. It can mean a material or layer with which anything is enclosed, clothed, or covered in the sense of "clad" or "coated", as with a skin or husk.