melanism
noun
mel·a·nism
| \ ˈme-lə-ˌni-zəm
\
\
Definition of melanism
1
: an increased amount of black or nearly black pigmentation (as of skin, feathers, or hair) of an individual or kind of organism — compare industrial melanism
2
: intense human pigmentation of the skin, eyes, and hair
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Other Words from melanism
melanistic
\ ˌme-lə-ˈni-stik
\
adjective
\
adjective
Examples of melanism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
To determine the origins of squirrel melanism, or dark coloration, McRobie and colleagues from Cambridge University and the Virginia Museum of Natural History extracted DNA from gray and fox squirrel specimens found in North America. — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, "Interspecies Breeding Is Responsible for Some Squirrels’ Black Coloring," 16 Aug. 2019 But why melanism evolved in cats is a trickier question. — Sergio Pitamitz, National Geographic, "Exclusive: Rare Black Wildcat Caught on Film in Africa," 22 Mar. 2017 The animal is melanistic—its genes carry a mutation that creates more dark pigment than light pigment, according to Eduardo Eizirik, a biologist and cat-melanism expert at Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. — Sergio Pitamitz, National Geographic, "Exclusive: Rare Black Wildcat Caught on Film in Africa," 22 Mar. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'melanism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for melanism
melanism
noun
mel·a·nism
| \ ˈmel-ə-ˌniz-əm
\
\
Medical Definition of melanism
1
: an increased amount of black or nearly black pigmentation (as of skin, feathers, or hair) of an individual or kind of organism
2
: intense human pigmentation in skin, eyes, and hair
Other Words from melanism
melanistic
\ ˌmel-ə-ˈnis-tik
\
adjective
\
adjective