albino
albino Lexical Profile
albino Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Having a congenital absence of normal melanin pigmentation in the skin, hair, and eyes, or of chlorophyll in plants.
"The wildlife sanctuary recently rescued an albino alligator that would struggle to camouflage itself in the wild."
• noun
A person or animal having a congenital absence of melanin pigment in the skin, hair, and eyes, resulting in pale skin, white hair or fur, and pink or pale blue irises.
"Because the squirrel was an albino, its bright white fur made it easy to spot among the dark oak branches."
A plant that lacks normal chlorophyll pigmentation and consequently appears white or pale yellow.
"In the genetics experiment, roughly a quarter of the sprouted corn seedlings were albinos that could not perform photosynthesis."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to humans, using 'albino' as a standalone noun is often considered insensitive or dehumanizing; person-first phrasing such as 'a person with albinism' is strongly preferred.
• Rhymes for albino
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 18th century from Spanish or Portuguese 'albino', derived from Latin 'albus' meaning 'white', originally coined by Portuguese explorers to describe West Africans with congenital hypopigmentation.