| melancholic | 1. Relating to or characteristic of melancholia. 2. Formerly, denoting a temperament characterised by irritability and a pessimistic outlook. 3. A person who is exhibiting melancholia. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| melancholy | 1. Depressed in spirits; dejected; gloomy dismal. 2. Producing great evil and grief; causing dejection; calamitous; afflictive; as, a melancholy event. 3. Somewhat deranged in mind; having the jugment impaired. 4. Favorable to meditation; somber. "A pretty, melancholy seat, well wooded and watered." (Evelin) Synonym: Gloomy, sad, dispirited, low-spirited, downhearted, unhappy, hypochondriac, disconsolate, heavy, doleful, dismal, calamitous, afflictive. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| melanedema | Synonym: anthracosis. Origin: melan-+ G. Oidema, swelling (05 Mar 2000) |
| melanesia | The collective name for the islands of the pacific ocean northeast of Australia, including new caledonia, vanuatu, new hebrides, solomon islands, admiralty islands, bismarck archipelago, fiji, etc. Melanesia (from the greek melas, black + nesos, island) is so called from the black colour of the natives who are generally considered to be descended originally from the negroid papuans and the polynesians or malays. (12 Dec 1998) |
| melanian | <marine biology> One of a family of fresh water pectinibranchiate mollusks, having a turret-shaped shell. (19 Mar 1998) |
| melanic | 1. Melanotic. 2. <ethnology> Of or pertaining to the black-haired races. Origin: Gr, -, black. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| melanidrosis | See: chromhidrosis, pseudochromidrosis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| melaniferous | Containing melanin or other black pigment. Origin: melan-(melanin) + L. Ferro, to carry (05 Mar 2000) |
| melaniline | <chemistry> A complex nitrogenous hydrocarbon obtained artificially (as by the action of cyanogen chloride on aniline) as a white, crystalline substance. Synonym: diphenyl guanidin. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| melanin | <protein> Pigments largely of animal origin. High molecular weight polymers of indole quinone. Colours include black/brown, yellow, red and violet. Found in feathers, cuttle ink, human skin, hair and eyes and in cellular immune responses and wound healing in arthropods. (18 Nov 1997) |
| melanins | Pigments causing darkness in skin, hair, feathers, etc. They are irregular polymeric structures and are divided into three groups: allomelanins in the plant kingdom and eumelanins and phaeomelanins in the animal kingdom. (12 Dec 1998) |
| melanism | 1. An indue development of dark-coloured pigment in the skin or its appendages; the opposite of albinism. 2. <medicine> A disease; black jaundice. See Melna. Origin: Gr, black. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| melanite | <chemical> A black variety of garnet. Origin: Gr, black: cf. F. Melanite. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| melano- | Black, extreme darkness of hue. Origin: G. Melas (05 Mar 2000) |
| melanoacanthoma | A seborrheic keratosis with melanin pigmentation associated with proliferation of intraepidermal melanocytes. Origin: melano-+ G. Akantha, thorn, + suffix -oma, tumour (05 Mar 2000) |