albino

American  

[al-bahy-noh, -bee-] / ælˈbaɪ noʊ, -ˈbi- /

noun

• albinos
  plural

1. a person with pale skin, light hair, pinkish eyes, and visual abnormalities resulting from a hereditary inability to produce the pigment melanin.

2. an animal or plant with a marked deficiency in pigmentation.

3. Philately. an embossed stamp accidentally left without ink.

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albino British  

/ ˌælbɪˈnɒtɪk, ælˈbiːnəʊ, ælˈbɪnɪk, ˈælbɪˌnɪzəm /

noun

1. a person with congenital absence of pigmentation in the skin, eyes, and hair

2. any animal or plant that is deficient in pigment

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albino Scientific  

/ ăl-bī′nō /

1. An organism lacking normal pigmentation or coloration. Animals that are albinos lack pigmentation due to a congenital absence of melanin. In humans and other mammals, albinos have white hair, pale skin, and usually pinkish eyes. Plants that are albinos lack normal amounts of chlorophyll or other pigments.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• albinism
  noun
• albinal
  adjective
• albinic
  adjective
• albinotic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• albinos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of albino

1770–80; < Portuguese, equivalent to alb ( o ) white (< Latin albus ) + -ino -ine ¹

Explanation

An albino is someone who is born with an absence of skin and hair pigmentation. This usually results in an albino having pale hair, eyes, and skin. Some people who are considered to be albinos find the term offensive, although there are many different opinions about this in the community. For most people with albinism — or lack of pigmentation — if the word albino is used respectfully, it's perfectly acceptable. The disorder is genetic, and it can affect just the eyes, or the eyes and the skin. The word albino has a Latin root, albus, or "white."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

albino albinos

This year, an albino Pomeranian-Chihuahua named Pinky snagged second place in the competition.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Locals have claimed that rare albino deer, great crested newts and badgers all roamed the field prior to it being built on.

From BBC ● May 9, 2026

A sad farewell to Claude, the albino alligator.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 20, 2026

The AI tool shares its name, Claude, with a 30-year-old albino gator that’s become a local celebrity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2025

Given that the bird or birds seen near my home and supposedly seen all around town were albino species, their bills were just about the color that the Lazarus’s would have been.

From "Where Things Come Back" by John Corey Whaley

These bison lack the red eyes and pink nose of true albinos.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 20, 2023

The high temperatures are especially risky for people like teenage sisters Matilde and Angelica Aureli from Rome, who during extreme heat can only venture outside after 9 p.m. because they are albinos.

From Reuters ● Jul. 17, 2023

While leucistic creatures don’t have the same red or pink eyes as albinos, they also end up with lighter-colored features.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 18, 2023

“In the wild, albinos would almost never survive,” Haught said.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 19, 2021

Greater increase or decrease, inhibited them and produced albinos.

From Being Well-Born An Introduction to Eugenics by Michael F. Guyer