Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - husk

 I. noun  Etymology: Middle English  Date: 14th century  1.  a. a usually dry or membranous outer covering (as a pod or one composed of bracts) of various seeds and fruits (as barley and corn) ; hull; also one of the constituent parts  b. a carob pod  2.  a. an outer layer ; shell  b. an emptied shell ; remnant  c. a supporting framework  II. transitive verb  Date: 1562 to strip the ~ from  • ~er noun