Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Any of a group of naturally occurring dark pigments, especially the pigment found in skin, hair, fur, and feathers.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The black pigment of the hair, choroid, retina, and epidermis of colored races; also, the dark pigment seen in melanæmia and in melanosarcoma and melanocarcinoma. The pigments in these cases may, however, be different.
Wiktionary
- n. Any of a group of naturally occurring dark pigments, especially the pigment found in skin, hair, fur, and feathers.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Physiol.) A black pigment found in the pigment-bearing cells of the skin (particularly in the skin of the negro), in the epithelial cells of the external layer of the retina (then called
fuscin ), in the outer layer of the choroid, and elsewhere. It is supposed to be derived from the decomposition of hemoglobin.
WordNet 3.0
- n. insoluble pigments that account for the color of e.g. skin and scales and feathers
Etymologies
- From New Latin, from Ancient Greek stem of μέλας (mélas, "black") + -in (Wiktionary)
Examples
“What determines how much melanin is present in the iris ishereditary genetics.”
“Though melanin is typically associated with ‘protective’ properties – absorbing and safely transforming different electromagnetic wavelengths, such as DNA-damaging ultraviolet light – the researchers had an inkling that a more extraordinary phenomenon was allowing the fungi to prosper; something still involving the combination of melanin and radiation, but beyond the bounds of radioactive protection.”
“If you change a gene involved in melanin synthesis only expressed in the hair, you can change the hair color with no fuss.”
“This Great Moment in Black History has been sponsored by the same old ignoramuses who still think melanin is destiny.”
“The melanin is eventually discharged from melanocytes and taken up by keratinocytes.”
“The chemical substance melanin is the pigment which darkens skin color.”
“The scientists found that a peptide active in the hypothalamus called melanin-concentrating hormone or MCH can inactivate the reproductive system in times of hunger.”
“The color of a person’s eyes depends on the amount of a pigment called melanin present in the iris of the eye (melanin is also responsible for the coloring of our skin).”
“Dark skin races are largely protected by pigment, known as melanin, which largely blocks long-wave ultraviolet radiation.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘melanin’.
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G[r]eek
A collection of words found in English that are either purely Greek or have Greek etymology.
Please add with caution and certainty. Will be regularly updated by me.etymology, philosophy, laconic, disharmony, patriarchic, archaic, phlogiston, aether, aeon, angel, arachnid, rhythm and 346 more...
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SCIE - neurology
abducens.....draw..., ablation.....carr..., acetylcholine......., adrenalin.....nea..., afferent.....to c..., agnosia.....no kn..., alar.....wing-like, alexia.....no words, alveus.....canal, amacrine.....no l..., ambidextrous........, ambiguus.....doub... and 701 more...
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Physical anthropology
acclimatization, adriatic, aegyptid, aeta, aethiopid, africoid, ainuid, aistin, alae, alare, albino, allele and 202 more...
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Some new Wordie words this week
Don't tell them they are not real--they might cry.
glover, breakfront, submaximal, criticality, lanoline, mouthy, botheration, metaphorically, metaphase, disavowal, arum, ostentatiously and 162 more...
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✖ LOCUTIONS
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lambda, coital, HUGO, fuggedaboutit, altrap, Hieroglyphics, Synergy, incarceration, Ethos, Devadasi, distraught, Patrician and 254 more...
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danke's Words
recalcitrant, indigenous, atavistic, insurgent, hardy, laidback, mystic, brahmin, boston, melanin, pigmentation, epidermal and 75 more...
Tweets
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