XERODERMA PIGMENTOSUM

[xe.ro.der.ma pig.men.to.sum] n [NL, lit., pigmented dryness of the skin] (1884): a genetic condition inherited as a recessive autosomal trait that is caused by a defect in mechanisms that repair DNA mutations (as those caused by ultraviolet light) and is characterized by the development of pigment abnormalities and multiple skin cancers in body areas exposed to the sun