albino

1 of 2

noun

al·​bi·​no al-ˈbī-(ˌ)nō How to pronounce albino (audio)
plural albinos
: an organism exhibiting deficient pigmentation
especially : a human being who is congenitally deficient in pigment and usually has a milky or translucent skin, white or colorless hair, and eyes with pink or blue iris and deep-red pupil

albino

2 of 2

adjective

: exhibiting the deficient pigmentation characteristic of albinos
albino sharks
The Draize test commonly uses six rabbits (preferably of the albino strain because of the clarity of their red eyes) to test a substance for eye irritancy.Rachel Urquhart

Examples of albino in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
About 100 years ago, cheesemakers began exclusively using a specific albino strain called Penicillium camemberti. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Mar. 2024 McCurley, who had been breeding reptiles while working a day job as an electronic technician, couldn’t afford an albino, let alone a pied. Rebecca Giggs, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024 The thief got away with his founding albino male as well as females that were heterozygous for the trait. Rebecca Giggs, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024 The rare albino tortoise is out on exhibit, so zoo guests can meet the unique creature. Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE.com, 7 June 2022 First is an up-close feeding with Claude the albino alligator, and an interview with California Academy of Sciences biologist Emma Kocina. Total Sf Podcast, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Mar. 2023 On December 10, Thurman had the predator hunt of a lifetime, bagging two bobcats during one mid-morning sit—one of which turned out to be an extremely rare albino. Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 28 Dec. 2023 Folks in southern Oklahoma are currently on the lookout for a giant albino reticulated python that has been living for months near a trailer park. Sage Marshall, Field & Stream, 4 Oct. 2023 Pirates and Parakeet Kings, ancestors and younger versions of characters, adorable balloon-like creatures (think tiny albino Totoros) and killer armies of budgies all weave in and out of the story, one which eventually reveals itself to be about life, death, and rebirth. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2023
Adjective
Women who give birth to an albino child or even one with disorders such as autism or cerebral palsy are often chastised and ostracized by their husbands and relatives. Gus Alexiou, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2024 In February, an albino child from Tanzania was killed and mutilated for the very This article is part of our premium archives. Evan Fraser, Foreign Affairs, 16 Aug. 2015 The trait can occur across the animal kingdom, though albino animals often face obstacles to surviving in the wild, including poor eyesight. Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 July 2023 The albino population with its roots in Louisiana are suspected to have spawned from the mating of two non-albino alligators. Chris Perkins, sun-sentinel.com, 18 Aug. 2021 Included in the 15 recordings made of the bear in February is footage of the albino panda interacting with black-and-white pandas. Liza Esquibias, Peoplemag, 6 June 2023 For decades, the behavior of albino rats in mazes—and, by extension, that of the humans who studied them—was turned into a science: something that could be explained and, ultimately, engineered. Nicola Twilley, The New Yorker, 22 Nov. 2021 Albino alligators in the wild are at a greater risk of being spotted by a predator and rarely live as long as their non-albino counterparts. Corryn Wetzel, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Aug. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'albino.' 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

Noun

borrowed from Spanish & Portuguese; Portuguese albino, borrowed from Spanish, noun derivative of albino, adjective, "lacking in pigment," from albo "white" (borrowed from Latin albus) + -ino -ine entry 1 — more at album

Adjective

borrowed from Spanish, "lacking in pigment" — more at albino entry 1

Note: Alternatively the adjective could be from attributive use of the noun.

First Known Use

Noun

1708, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1785, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of albino was in 1708

Dictionary Entries Near albino

Cite this Entry

“Albino.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/albino. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

albino

noun
al·​bi·​no al-ˈbī-nō How to pronounce albino (audio)
plural albinos
: an organism deficient in coloring matter
especially : a human being or animal that is born with a lack of pigment and usually a milky skin, white or colorless hair, and eyes with pink or blue iris and deep red pupil
albinism
ˈal-bə-ˌniz-əm
al-ˈbī-
noun
albino adjective

Medical Definition

albino

noun
al·​bi·​no al-ˈbī-(ˌ)nō How to pronounce albino (audio)
plural albinos
: an organism exhibiting deficient pigmentation
especially : a human being who is congenitally deficient in pigment and usually has a milky or translucent skin, white or colorless hair, and eyes with pink or blue iris and deep-red pupil
albinic adjective

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