pheomelanin

noun

pheo·​mel·​a·​nin ˌfē-ə-ˈme-lə-nən How to pronounce pheomelanin (audio)
variants or less commonly phaeomelanin
plural pheomelanins also phaeomelanins
: a reddish-yellow sulfur-containing melanin pigment formed in the presence of cysteine
… in people with dark brown or black hair, the pheomelanin is effectively masked by the darker eumelanin.Erin Brodwin
The marked spectrum of color and diversity of patterns … in mammals arises, unexpectedly, from variation in the quantity, quality, and regional distribution of just two types of pigment—black eumelanin and yellow pheomelanin.Sophie I. Candille et al.
compare eumelanin, neuromelanin

Examples of pheomelanin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Slater and her colleagues went looking for ginger shades in the fossil record because evidence of pheomelanins has shown up there far less often than the researchers expected, compared with modern-day animals. Riley Black, Scientific American, 14 Dec. 2023 While eumelanin and pheomelanin control the colors of such visible characteristics, neuromelanin affects neurons in the brain and plays a role in protection against neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease. Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 1 Sep. 2023 There are three basic types of the pigment: eumelanin, pheomelanin and neuromelanin. Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 1 Sep. 2023 Gray and brown colors, for their parts, appear to arise from combinations of eumelanin, pheomelanin and pigment absence. Jakob Vinther, Scientific American, 1 Mar. 2017 Researchers involved in the study believe that the earliest humans had pale skin containing pheomelanin, as do our close relatives, the chimpanzees. Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 26 Feb. 2014 So the team proposed that a volcanic environment full of sulfur might trigger barn owls to produce more pheomelanin, thereby making their plumage darker. Grrlscientist, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2023 It was colored with reddish-brown pheomelanin and was countershaded. Jakob Vinther, Scientific American, 1 Mar. 2017 There are two types of melanin: eumelanin and pheomelanin. Christina Oehler, Health, 5 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pheomelanin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Phäomelanin, from Greek phaiós "a shade between black and white, gray, dark gray" (of obscure origin) + Melanin melanin

Note: The term Phäomelanin was apparently introduced, along with Eumelanin eumelanin, by the biologist Karl Görnitz in "Versuch einer Klassifikation der häufigsten Federfärbungen," Journal für Ornithologie, Band 71 (1923), Heft 1, pp. 127-31. On the meaning of the element phäo-/pheo- see the note at pheochromocytoma.

First Known Use

1924, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pheomelanin was in 1924

Dictionary Entries Near pheomelanin

Cite this Entry

“Pheomelanin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pheomelanin. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

pheomelanin

noun
pheo·​mel·​a·​nin
variants also phaeomelanin
: a reddish-yellow sulfur-containing melanin pigment formed in the presence of cysteine
As pH reduces, there is a progressive reduction in tyrosinase activity leading to increased pheomelanin and reddish or blonde hair.Anagha Kumar et al., International Journal of Trichology
Modern melanosomes generally carry a mixture of two melanin pigments: dark brown-black eumelanin and red-yellow pheomelanin.Meghan Rosen, Science News
The marked spectrum of color and diversity of patterns that we see in mammals arises, unexpectedly, from variation in the quantity, quality, and regional distribution of just two types of pigment—black eumelanin and yellow pheomelanin.Sophie I. Candille et al., Science
compare eumelanin, neuromelanin
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