Meaning & use
melanin
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountablebiology
A dark pigment made by the body that gives color to skin, hair and eyes and helps protect against sunlight.
Grammar: No plural and no article: Melanin protects skin.
Patterns
- melanin in something
- produce melanin
People with more melanin in their skin burn less easily.
Sunlight makes the body produce extra melanin, which causes tanning.
Hair turns gray when the cells stop making melanin.
Common combinations
- produce melanin
- Skin cells produce melanin.
- melanin production
- Melanin production rises in sunshine.
- melanin levels
- Melanin levels vary between people.
- lack of melanin
- A lack of melanin causes albinism.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pigment
- Pigment is a general word for any coloring matter, while melanin names one specific pigment.
Word family
- melanocyte noun
- a cell that makes melanin
- melanoma noun
- a serious skin cancer starting in pigment cells
Commonly confused: melanin or melatonin?
melanin vs melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate sleep, not skin color.
Practice
Which substance gives skin its color and helps shield it from the sun?
Choose one answer.
Melanin is the pigment. Melatonin controls sleep, keratin is the protein in hair, and insulin controls blood sugar.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “melanin”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.