Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Melanin
Mel′a-nin
,Noun.
[Gr.
μέλας
, μέλανος
, black.] (Physiol.)
A black pigment found in the pigment-bearing cells of the skin (particularly in the skin of the negro), in the epithelial cells of the external layer of the retina (then called
fuscin
), in the outer layer of the choroid, and elsewhere. It is supposed to be derived from the decomposition of hemoglobin.