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melanocyte

[ muh-lan-uh-sahyt, mel-uh-nuh- ]

noun

, Cell Biology.
  1. a cell producing and containing melanin.


melanocyte

/ ˈmɛlənəʊˌsaɪt /

noun

  1. anatomy zoology a cell, usually in the epidermis, that contains melanin
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

melanocyte

/ mĕlə-nō-sīt′,mə-lănə- /

  1. An epidermal cell that synthesizes melanin.
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Word History and Origins

Origin of melanocyte1

First recorded in 1885–90; melano- + -cyte
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Example Sentences

Melanoma cells develop from melanocytes -- skin cells that produce melanin.

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that occurs when pigment-producing skin cells called melanocytes “start to grow out of control,” according to the American Cancer Society.

Basal cell carcinoma is more common and far less deadly than another form of skin cancer, melanoma, which grows in skin cells called melanocytes.

Each hair follicle keeps immature melanocyte stem cells in storage.

The arrested development impacts immature cells which would otherwise have developed into melanocytes which give hair its natural colour or shade.

From BBC

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Melanochroimelanocyte-stimulating hormone