Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

melanin

/ˈmɛlənɪn/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.83 in modern English

Syllables: melanin
IPA: /ˈmɛlənɪn/

9

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of a group of naturally occurring dark pigments, especially the pigment found in skin, hair, fur, and feathers.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Generally, cephalopod ink includes melanin, enzymes related to melanin production, catecholamines, peptidoglycans, free amino acids and metals (Derby 2014) ."

Etymology

From New Latin, from Ancient Greek stem of μέλας (mélas, “black”) + -in; by surface analysis, melan(o)- + -in.

Origin

Source language: Ancient Greek

Word Breakdown

Root: *melh₂-, -
Suffix: -in

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈmɛlənɪn/
British English: /ˈmɛlənɪn/

Usage

Inflected Forms

melanins (plural)

Derived Forms

allomelanin amelanosis biomelanin dopamelanin eumelanin melanated melaninization melaninlike melaninogenesis melanistic melanize melatonin

Phrases

melanin-challenged melano-

Frequently Paired Words

melano- melatonin

Questions

How do you pronounce melanin?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmɛlənɪn/.
What does melanin mean?: Any of a group of naturally occurring dark pigments, especially the pigment found in skin, hair, fur, and feathers.
Where does melanin come from?: It is traced to Ancient Greek.

How to pronounce melanin

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “melanin”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈmɛlənɪn/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “melanin”.
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