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What does melan- mean in medical terms?

melan-

Meaning: black, dark

Type: Prefix

A prefix goes at the very start of a word, before the root. On this page: what melan- means, and real medical words that use it, each broken down into its parts.

Example words using melan-

melanin
melan- (dark) + in (a substance) = the dark pigment of skin, hair, and eyes
melanoma
melan- (black) + oma (tumor) = a tumor arising from pigment-producing cells
melanocyte
melan- (dark) + cyte (cell) = a cell that produces dark pigment

More prefixes

a-ab-ad-allo-ambi-amphi-an-ana-aniso-ante-anti-apo-

Shortened forms

Charts and notes shorten long terms — see the Medical Abbreviations guide for the short forms you will meet in real records.

Please note: This section teaches the language of medicine — what word parts mean and how terms are built. It is an educational reference, not medical advice. For the meaning of a word in your own medical record, ask the clinician who wrote it.