melasma

M3E1L1A1S1M3A1

noun

A tan or dark skin discoloration, particularly common in pregnant women, thought to be caused by the stimulation of melanocytes by estrogen and progesterone.

Similar
chloasma facieimask of pregnancymelaspregnancy maskchloasma
OriginLatin melasma ← Ancient Greek μέλασμα →
UncommonScrabble 11
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Meanings

nounmelasma (uncountable)

alternative melasmus

  1. uncountablemedicineA tan or dark skin discoloration, particularly common in pregnant women, thought to be caused by the stimulation of melanocytes by estrogen and progesterone.

    Synonyms: chloasma faciei, mask of pregnancy, melas, pregnancy mask

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA tan or dark skin discoloration, particularly common in pregnant women, thought to be caused by the stimulation of melanocytes by estrogen and progesterone.

Similar
chloasma facieimask of pregnancymelaspregnancy mask

More synonyms by meaning

nouna tan discoloration of a woman's face that is associated with pregnancy or with the use of oral contraceptives

Similar
chloasmamask of pregnancy
Broader
symptom
Also see
chloasmachloasma facieimask of pregnancymelas

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekμέλασμα
  2. Latinmelasma
  3. Englishmelasma

From Latin melasma, from Ancient Greek μέλασμα (mélasma), from μελαίνειν (melaínein, “to blacken”) + -σμα (-sma), from μέλας (mélas, “black”).

More words from Latin, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic كَلَف
  • كَلَف (kalaf)dark skin discoloration common during pregnancy
Bulgarian мелазма, хлоазма
  • мелазма (melazma)dark skin discoloration common during pregnancy
  • хлоазма (hloazma)dark skin discoloration common during pregnancy
Chinese Mandarin 黃褐斑 /黄褐斑
  • 黃褐斑 /黄褐斑 (huánghèbān)dark skin discoloration common during pregnancy
Dutch melasma
  • melasmadark skin discoloration common during pregnancy
French mélasma
  • mélasmadark skin discoloration common during pregnancy
Italian melasma
  • melasmadark skin discoloration common during pregnancy
Polish melanodermia, ostuda
  • melanodermiadark skin discoloration common during pregnancy
  • ostudadark skin discoloration common during pregnancy
Portuguese melasma
  • melasmadark skin discoloration common during pregnancy
Spanish melasma
  • melasmadark skin discoloration common during pregnancy

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with melasma

plasmamiasmachasmachiasmachloasma
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

melasma. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/melasma

MLA

“melasma.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/melasma. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “melasma,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/melasma.

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