Melan

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A prefix used in scientific and medical terms to denote association with the color black or dark pigments ; a root indicating blackness in biological contexts ; an element found in words related to melanin or darkness in tissues
2. Serving as a formative element in words to signify black coloration, especially in reference to pigments or cells ; used to suggest darkness or blackness in various scientific disciplines ; denotes a relationship to melanin or dark color in anatomy
3. Appearing at the start of terms to indicate the presence of black or dark pigment, especially in medicine or biology ; used in forming words that describe something dark in color ; signifies a connection to melanin or black coloration

Etymology: In ancient Greek, "melas" meant black or dark, and "melan-" is its combining form, used when the word joins another element. The clearest case in English is "melancholy," from "melan-" plus "chole," meaning bile. Greek physicians held that an excess of black bile caused low spirits, so a condition of gloom came to be named after the dark fluid they blamed for it. The same prefix runs through modern science. Melanin, the pigment that colours skin, hair, and eyes, takes its name from "melan-" with the chemical suffix "-in." Melanoma, a cancer of pigment-producing cells, combines it with the Greek "-oma," meaning tumour.