melanism
Americannoun
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Ethnology. the condition in human beings of having a high amount of melanin granules in the skin, hair, and eyes.
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Zoology. the condition in which an unusually high concentration of melanin occurs in the skin, plumage, or pelage of an animal.
noun
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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
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another name for melanosis
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of melanism
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
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 W. H. (William Henry) Hudson
The other cases of this interesting exhibit show a large variety of birds and animals under conditions of somewhat abnormal variation, in the one case of albinism and the other of melanism.
From A History of Science, Volume 5(of 5) Aspects Of Recent Science by Henry Smith Williams
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