melanated

M3E1L1A1N1A1T1E1D2

adjective

Containing melanin.

First used mid-20th c.Scrabble 12

Meanings

adjectivemelanated (not comparable)
  1. not comparableContaining melanin.First known use mid-20th c.

    Melanated and non-melanated tissues were quantitatively assayed for selective absorption of labelled tyrosine and/ or its derivatives.

    1959 October 1, Walter J. Fimian, Jr.; Geraldine A. Dowd, “Quantitative Determination of C¹⁴-Tyrosine Absorption in Melanated and Non-Melanated Mouse Tissues”, in Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine, →DOI
    5 more examples

    He suggested that upon penetration, or shortly afterwards, a parasite may supply the necessary missing substance for the completion of this reaction with the result that the characteristic melanated cysts appear.

    1954 January, John A. Chapman, George W. Hunter III, “Studies on Host-Parasite Reactions. VII. The Pigment Cells Surrounding the Metacercarial Cysts of Cryptocotyle lingua in the Cunner, Tautogolabrus adspersus (Walbaum)”, in Transactions of the American Microscopical Society, volume 73, number 1, →JSTOR, pages 28–36

    In the only black-spot Neascus which has been studied experimentally, the metacercaria is fully developed by the time the cyst becomes melanated.

    1955 January, Glenn L. Hoffman, “Neascus nolfi n. sp. (Trematoda: Strigeida) from Cyprinid Minnows with Notes on the Artificial Digest Recovery of Helminths”, in The American Midland Naturalist, volume 53, number 1, →JSTOR

    It was first created during colonial times, and it is still being created today, in its postcolonial forms, by those who rely on visible phenotypical variables, such as melanated skin or "foreign" speech behavior as segregating variables that help them to secure "white" racial ascendancy. Today, Euro-Americans no longer sustain an absolute monopoly over such resources, but their gatekeeper functions still determine the visibly melanated people who will also get to share these resources.

    1994 March, Helán Page, R. Brooke Thomas, “White Public Space and the Construction of White Privilege in U. S. Health Care: Fresh Concepts and a New Model of Analysis”, in Medical Anthropology Quarterly, volume 8, number 1, →JSTOR, page 111

    The Yucatan mini-pig skin is melanated and, on the flank, is of similar thickness to that on the human arm, which has high probability of accidental exposure.

    2006 July 1, Clarence P. Cain et al., “Porcine skin visible lesion thresholds for near-infrared lasers including modeling at two pulse durations and spot sizes”, in Journal of Biomedical Optics, volume 11, number 4, →DOI

    For some reason, in talking about people of color and our skin, I blurted out how we are very “melanated,” pertaining to the amounts of melanin in our skin. I am not really sure how the word came to my mind because it is not an actual word, but it stuck with me.

    2016 August, Stephanie Monique Smith, “Stephanie Smile”, in First-Gen Voices, volume 6, number 1
  2. broadlynot comparableBelonging or relating to black people.First known use late 20th c.

    Melanated brothers and sisters, no fiction, we’re turning into victims or a Cold Case.

    2020 June 24, M. Rayne, How I See the World, Xlibris, →ISBN
    2 more examples

    The elementary school i went to was in a small typically german suburb with me being one of the five girls of color in the entire school (next to my younger ((way lighter)) sister, two adopted darker melanated sisters from brazil and my best friend who grew to become my sister, a vietnamese girl).

    2020 May 7, Sunshinegoldenchild, Watering My Crown: A Story About Breaking and Rising Up Stronger Again, One About Self-Reflection and Growth, Tredition, →ISBN

    They say all the right things, post the right hashtags, and are skilled at “amplifying melanated voices” on public platforms when the cultural moment demands it.

    2021 October 12, Bethaney Wilkinson, “Racism Is the Problem”, in The Diversity Gap: Where Good Intentions Meet True Cultural Change, HarperCollins Leadership, →ISBN, page 18

Origin

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

melanated. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/melanated

MLA

“melanated.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/melanated. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “melanated,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/melanated.

Source: melanated on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.