melano-

1. a combining form meaning “black,” used in the formation of compound words:

   melanocyte.

melano-

combining_form

1. black or dark

   melanocyte

   melanoma

   melanin

   melanism

Word History and Origins

Origin of melano-¹

From Greek, combining form of mélās “black”

Word History and Origins

Origin of melano-¹

from Greek melas black

Example Sentences

Julia Melano, adviser to the head of Rosselkhoznadzor, said clinics were seeing an increase in vaccination requests from "breeders, pet-owners who travel frequently and also citizens whose animals roam freely", according to the RIA news agency.

From BBC

Clinical trials will end in January and the approval process is likely to begin at the end of February, Yulia Melano, an aide to the head of the agricultural safety watchdog, Rosselkhoznadzor, told Reuters.

From Reuters

Yulia Melano, at the rural inspection service Rosselkhoznadzor, complained that her agency had lost most of its powers to control pesticide use since 2011.

From BBC

Portland nearly put things away for good when Lucas Melano raced down the left side and fired a shot toward the far corner that Frei only barely got his outstretched hand on to knock out of harm’s way.

From Seattle Times

The Timbers thought they had another goal in the 80th minute on Lucas Melano’s rebound, but it was called offside.

From New York Times

Words That Use melano-

What does melano- mean?

Melano- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “black, dark-colored.” In biology and medicine, melano- is specifically used to refer to melanin, “any of a class of insoluble pigments, found in all forms of animal life, that account for the dark color of skin, hair, fur, scales, feathers, etc.”

Melano- comes from the Greek mélās, meaning “black.” The word melancholy is also derived in part from this root.

What does the Greek word for black have to do with a gloomy state of mind? Discover the connection at our entry and video for melancholy.

What are variants of melano-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, melano- becomes melan-, as in melanin.

Examples of melano-

One medical term that uses the combining form melano- is melanoglossia, a condition known as “black tongue” and caused by a buildup of such things as dead cells and bacteria on the tongue. (Brush your teeth!)

The beginning of the word, melano-, means “black,” as we’ve seen. The second part of the word, –glossia, comes from the Greek glôssa, meaning “tongue.” Melanoglossia literally translates to “black tongue.” Learn more about –glossia at our entry for glossa.

What are some words that use the combining form melano-?

• melanoblast
• melanocyte
• melanocytoma
• melanodermatitis
• melanoleukoderma
• melanophage

What are some other forms that melano- may be commonly confused with?

• megalo-
• myelo-

Break it down!

Melanoblastoma is a type of skin tumor. Based on the meaning of melano-, would you expect a melanoblastoma to be light or dark in color?