melanoma

noun

mel·​a·​no·​ma ˌme-lə-ˈnō-mə 

plural melanomas also melanomata ˌme-lə-ˈnō-mə-tə 

1

: a tumor containing dark pigment

2

: a highly malignant tumor that starts in melanocytes of normal skin or moles and metastasizes rapidly and widely

Examples of melanoma in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Unless accelerated by a tanning bed, skin damage can take years, if not decades to develop, experts say, leaving today’s unwary youth at risk for early skin aging and lethal skin cancers such as melanoma. —Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 21 June 2024

And sunburns raise your risk of skin cancers including melanoma. —Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 19 June 2024

People making this false claim sometimes point to data showing the more than three-fold rise in US rates of the dangerous skin cancer melanoma between 1975 and 2018, a period over which sunscreen technology evolved considerably. —Keren Landman, Vox, 10 June 2024

The famed Jamaican singer died at 36 from an untreated but aggressive melanoma on his toenail that spread to his brain, liver and lungs. —La Risa R. Lynch, Journal Sentinel, 16 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

melan- (in melanosis, melanotic) + -oma

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing melanoma

• malignant melanoma

Kids Definition

melanoma

noun

mel·​a·​no·​ma ˌmel-ə-ˈnō-mə 

plural melanomas also melanomata -mət-ə 

: a usually malignant tumor containing dark pigment

Medical Definition

melanoma

noun

mel·​a·​no·​ma ˌmel-ə-ˈnō-mə 

plural melanomas also melanomata -mət-ə 

1

: a benign or malignant skin tumor containing dark pigment

2

: a tumor of high malignancy that starts in melanocytes of normal skin or moles and metastasizes rapidly and widely

called also malignant melanoma, melanocarcinoma, melanoepithelioma, melanosarcoma