Phytomelanin

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A dark brown or black pigment found in the cell walls and tissues of plants, formed through the oxidation and polymerization of phenolic compounds
2. A melanin-like pigment produced by plants that darkens their tissues and provides protection against ultraviolet radiation and microbial pathogens
3. A dark polymeric substance that accumulates in plant cell walls, similar to melanin in animals, and serves protective functions in plant tissues

Etymology: Phytomelanin is a compound built from two parts: "phyto-", from Greek "phyton" meaning "plant", and "melanin", from Greek "melas" meaning "black" or "dark". Put together, the name points to a dark pigment found in plants rather than in animals, where melanin is more commonly associated with skin, hair and feathers. The Greek roots do most of the work here. "Melanin" itself is a modern scientific coinage built on the classical word for black, so the "melan-" element has been carried into scientific vocabulary for pigments of many kinds. Adding "phyto-" to it marks out the plant-based version, a useful distinction when the same general word is applied across different organisms. The word is a technical formation, so its meaning is largely fixed by its parts: a dark, melanin-like pigment produced by plants.