— melanistic , adj.
/mel"euh niz'euhm/ , n.
1. Ethnol. the condition in human beings of having a high amount of melanin granules in the skin, hair, and eyes.
2. Zool. the condition in which an unusually high concentration of melanin occurs in the skin, plumage, or pelage of an animal.
[ 1835-45; MELAN- + -ISM ]