Meaning

noun a natural object that covers or envelops

noun an artifact that covers something else (usually to protect or shelter or conceal it)

noun the act of concealing the existence of something by obstructing the view of it

originPresent participle or participial adjective from cover (verb) + -ing; or, from Middle English coverynge, participle form of coveren, keveren (“to cover”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0