melanophore

[ muh-lan-uh-fawr, -fohr, mel-uh-nuh- ]

nounBiology.
  1. a pigmented connective-tissue cell containing melanin in its cytoplasm, responsible for color changes in many fishes and reptiles.

Origin of melanophore

1
First recorded in 1900–05; melano- + -phore

Words Nearby melanophore

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use melanophore in a sentence

Scientific definitions for melanophore

melanophore

[ mĕlə-nə-fôr′, mə-lănə- ]


  1. A pigmented cell that contains melanin, found especially in the skin of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.