melano-

prefix

Black (color, of anything).

OriginAncient Greek μέλᾱς (mélās) ← Proto-Hellenic *mélans ← Proto-Indo-European *mélh₂ns →
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Meanings

prefix

alternative melan-

  1. Black (color, of anything).
  2. Dark (color, of anything).
  3. Melanin or relationship thereto.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*melh₂-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*mélh₂ns
  3. Proto-Hellenic*mélans
  4. Ancient Greekμέλᾱς (mélās)
  5. Englishmelano-

From the combining form of Ancient Greek μέλᾱς (mélās, “dark, black”).

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French mélano-
  • mélano-melanin
Polish melano-
  • melano-melanin
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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