Melanoma
/ˌmɛləˈnoʊmə/noun
A serious form of skin cancer that develops from pigment-producing cells.
Did you know?Its core root, Greek *melas* (“black, dark”), also lives on in words like **melancholy** and **melanin**, showing how ancient language linked darkness, mood, and pigment.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
μέλας (melas)
“black, dark”
Ancient Greek
Greek
μέλαινα (melaina) / μέλαν (melan)
“black, dark (feminine/neuter forms)”
Modern Scientific Latin
New Latin
melan- + -oma
“black + tumor or swelling”
19th Century
French/English medical
mélanome / melanoma
“a dark pigmented tumor”
Modern English
English
melanoma
“a malignant tumor of melanocytes”
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