n, pl  -mas  also  -ma*ta   1  :  a benign or malignant skin tumor containing dark pigment  2  :  a tumor of high malignancy that starts in melanocytes of normal skin or moles and metastasizes rapidly and widely - called also malignant melanoma , melanocarcinoma , melanoepithelioma , melanosarcoma  .
 
 
 
Similar sounding terms:  melanaemia  mel·ane·mia 
 
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