1. An undue development of dark-colored pigment in the skin or its appendages; — the opposite of albinism.
2. (Med.) A disease; black jaundice. See Melæna.
Melanistic
(Mel`a*nis"tic) a. Affected with melanism; of the nature of melanism.
Melanite
(Mel"a*nite) n. [Gr. me`las, -anos, black: cf. F. mélanite.] (Min.) A black variety of garnet.
Melanochroi
(||Mel`a*noch"ro*i) n. pl. [NL. See Melanochroic.] (Ethnol.) A group of the human race,
including the dark whites.
Melanochroic
(Mel`a*no*chro"ic) a. [Gr. melana`chroos; me`las, -anos, black + chroa` color.] Having
a dark complexion; of or pertaining to the Melanochroi.
Melanochroite
(Mel`a*no*chro"ite) n. [See Melanochroic.] (Min.) A mineral of a red, or brownish or
yellowish red color. It is a chromate of lead; — called also phœnicocroite.
Melanocomous
(Mel`a*noc"o*mous) a. [Gr. me`las, -anos, black + hair.] Having very dark or black
hair; black-haired. Prichard.
Melanorrhœa
(||Mel`a*nor*rhœ"a) n. [NL., fr. Gr. me`las, -anos, black + to flow.] (Bot.) An East Indian
genus of large trees. Melanorrhœa usitatissima is the lignum-vitæ of Pegu, and yields a valuable black
varnish.
Melanoscope
(Me*lan"o*scope) n. [Gr. me`las, -anos, black + -scope.] (Opt.) An instrument containing
a combination of colored glasses such that they transmit only red light, so that objects of other colors,
as green leaves, appear black when seen through it. It is used for viewing colored flames, to detect the
presence of potassium, lithium, etc., by the red light which they emit.
Melanosis
(||Mel`a*no"sis) [NL., fr. Gr. a growing black, fr. me`las, -anos, black.] (Med.) The morbid
deposition of black matter, often of a malignant character, causing pigmented tumors.
