This week’s theme
Unusual antonyms

This week’s words
malison
pogonotomy
agnoiology
iteroparous
melanism

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(MEL-uh-niz-uhm)

MEANING:

noun: An inherited overproduction of melanin leading to unusually dark coloration.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Greek melano- (black). Earliest documented use: 1842.

NOTES:

Melanism is nature’s “dark mode”. The opposite of albinism (“light mode”). Iconic examples: black panthers, melanistic jaguars, and peppered moths that went goth during the Industrial Revolution.

USAGE:

“The most obvious explanation is that melanism provides better camouflage in the stygian depths of North America’s woodlands. Alternatively, female wolves may simply prefer their males tall, dark and handsome.”
Match and Mix; The Economist (London, UK); Oct 3, 2020.

See more usage examples of melanism in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: