armor vs protective covering

armor and protective covering both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
armor	Yes	No	Yes	No
protective covering	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, protective covering is a hypernym of armor; that is, protective covering is a word with a broader meaning than armor:

As nouns, protective covering is a hypernym of armor; that is, protective covering is a word with a broader meaning than armor:

armor: protective covering made of metal and used in combat
protective covering: a covering that is intend to protect from damage or injury

Other hypernyms of armor include protection, protective cover.

armor (noun)	protective covering (noun)
tough more-or-less rigid protective covering of an animal or plant	the tough natural covering of some organisms
protective covering made of metal and used in combat	a covering that is intend to protect from damage or injury
a military unit consisting of armored fighting vehicles

armor (verb)	protective covering (verb)
equip with armor