melanism

[mel-uh-niz-uhm]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Ethnology.��the condition in human beings of having a high amount of melanin granules in the skin, hair, and eyes.
Zoology.��the condition in which an unusually high concentration of melanin occurs in the skin, plumage, or pelage of an animal.

melanism

/ ˈ��ɛ��əˌ��ɪ��ə�� /

noun

the condition in man and animals of having dark-coloured or black skin, feathers, etc. Industrial melanism is the occurrence of dark varieties of animals, esp moths, in smoke-blackened industrial regions, in which they are well camouflaged
another name for melanosis

melanism

Dark coloration of the skin, hair, fur, or feathers because of a high concentration of melanin.

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Other Word Forms

melanistic adjective
ˌ��ˈ�Ծ��پ�� adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of melanism¹

First recorded in 1835–45; melan- + -ism

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

A classic example often taught in high school biology classes is that of industrial melanism in the peppered moth, a British species tha looks, well, "peppered," with black dots on a mostly white background.

From

The zoo said while Napo and Inka had very different coat colours, there was "no such species as a black panther" and Inka's dark colouring was a result of a genetic mutation known as melanism.

From

Kallisto is a rare black Amur leopard because of melanism, a condition that produces an excess of black pigment.

From

They found that melanism varied from place to place.

From

Thanks to massive inbreeding, New York is home to soot-black squirrels, which have a genetic condition called melanism.

From

Melanippus melanite

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