Melanism
/ˈmɛl.ə.nɪz.əm/noun
A condition in which an organism has unusually dark pigmentation due to excess melanin.
Did you know?The core root behind melanism is Greek melas/melanos, meaning “black,” and it also gave English words like melancholy, originally linked to “black bile” in ancient medicine.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
μέλας / μέλαινα / μέλαν
“black, dark”
Late Greek
Greek
μελανισμός
“darkening; becoming black”
Modern Scientific Latin
Latin
melanismus
“the condition of being black or darkly pigmented”
19th Century
English
melanism
“the condition of having an excess of dark pigment, especially in animals”
Explore more surprising origins