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
Her final carousel photo was a shot of two hyper-realistic albino alligator props. Catherine Santino, People.com, 31 Oct. 2024 But while Brit was able to look totally cool and collected while singing with the 7-foot albino Burmese python on her shoulders in 2001, the Houston rapper was a lot less calm. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 12 Sep. 2024
Adjective
There are also albino animals that lack most or all pigment. Elizabeth Carlen, Discover Magazine, 31 Oct. 2024 In 2018, for example, a chimpanzee in Uganda gave birth to an albino baby, a vanishingly rare occurrence in the species. Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for albino 

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 5 Nov. 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

More from Merriam-Webster on albino

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