melanism

American  

[mel-uh-niz-uhm] / ˈmɛl əˌnɪz əm /

noun

1. Ethnology. the condition in human beings of having a high amount of melanin granules in the skin, hair, and eyes.

2. Zoology. the condition in which an unusually high concentration of melanin occurs in the skin, plumage, or pelage of an animal.

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melanism British  

/ ˈmɛləˌnɪzəm /

noun

1. 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

2. another name for melanosis

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melanism Scientific  

/ mĕl′ə-nĭz′əm /

1. 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

Etymology

Origin of melanism

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

melanism

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 Salon ● Jun. 15, 2025

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 BBC ● Aug. 4, 2023

The creature’s extraordinary colouring is caused by melanism, the opposite of albinism.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 13, 2019

There was one black jaguar-skin; melanism is much more common among jaguars than pumas, although once Miller saw a black puma that had been killed by Indians.

From Through the Brazilian Wilderness by Roosevelt, Theodore

Eventually I heard of the phenomenon of melanism in animals, less rare in snakes perhaps than in animals of other classes, and I was satisfied that the problem was partly solved.

From Far Away and Long Ago by Hudson, W. H. (William Henry)