Word parts
What it means
A pigment-making skin cell. Melanocytes pass melanin to nearby skin cells, where it shields the cells' DNA from the sun's ultraviolet light. Everyone has about the same number of melanocytes; skin color depends on how much melanin they make. Sun exposure makes them produce more, which is a tan. Melanoma is a cancer of melanocytes.
At a glance
| Spanish | melanocito |
|---|---|
| Also written | melanocytes |
Related terms
cyt/o
A word part that means cell.
carcinoma
A cancer that starts in the cells that line the skin or the inside and outside surfaces of organs.
hyperpigmentation
Patches of skin that are darker than the skin around them.