Covered with armour, perhaps (6)
I believe the answer is:
plated
'covered' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both to do with contact as well as being past participle verbs.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for plated that I've seen before include "Thinly coated with deposited metal" , "Given a metal coating" .)