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melanin
8 dictionary results for: melanin
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
mel·a·nin       [mel-uh-nin] Pronunciation Key
–noun
any of a class of insoluble pigments, found in all forms of animal life, that account for the dark color of skin, hair, fur, scales, feathers, etc.

[Origin: 1835–45; melan- + -in2]

mel·a·nin·like, adjective
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
mel·a·nin       (měl'ə-nĭn)  Pronunciation Key 
n.   Any of a group of naturally occurring dark pigments, especially the pigment found in skin, hair, fur, and feathers.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
melanin 
"black pigment found in animal bodies," 1843, Mod.L., with chemical suffix -in, from Gk. melas (gen. melanos) "black," from PIE base *mel- "dark, soiled, dirty" (cf. Skt. malinah "dirty, stained, black," Lith. melynas "blue," L. mulleus "reddish").

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
melanin

noun
insoluble pigments that account for the color of e.g. skin and scales and feathers 

The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
melanin       (měl'ə-nĭn)  Pronunciation Key 
Any of various pigments that are responsible for the dark color of the skin, hair, scales, feathers, and eyes of animals and are also found in plants, fungi, and bacteria. Melanins are polymers, often bound to proteins, and in the animal kingdom are built from compounds produced by the oxidation of the amino acid tyrosine.

American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
melanin [(mel-uh-nin)]

A dark brown coloring found in the body, especially in the skin and hair. Produced by special skin cells that are sensitive to sunlight, melanin protects the body by absorbing ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

Note: The amount of melanin present in the skin determines the color of a person's complexion: people with a large amount have dark skin, whereas those with very little have fair skin. Melanin is also responsible for tanning.

American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

melanin mel·a·nin (měl'ə-nĭn)
n.
Any of a group of naturally occurring dark pigments composed of granules of highly irregular polymers that usually contain nitrogen or sulfur atoms, especially the pigment found in skin, hair, fur, and feathers.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Melanin

Mel"a*nin\, n. [Gr. me`las, -anos, black.] (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.

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