Melancholy,Melanin

A discussion of word histories and origins.
vaibhavd85
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Melancholy,Melanin

Postby vaibhavd85 » Sat May 05, 2007 6:51 am

Melancholy (n): deep and long lasting sadness
Melancholic (adj): sad or depressed

This word is derived from the Greek root “melas” which means “black” and “kholia” which means "bile". The Greeks believed that four fluids (or humors) (blood, yellow bile, black bile and phlegm) controlled the health and mood of the human body. The humor “black bile” was supposed to be secreted by kidneys and spleen and its presence in excess was supposed to be the cause of sadness.

Context:
No matter how hard he tried, he was not able to hide his melancholy.

Another word derived from the same root which is familiar to us because of the TV commercials (Those sun screen lotion “wale” advertisements). The word is melanin.

Melanin (N): a dark pigment in the hair and the skin which is responsible for the tanning of the skin exposed to sunlight.

Context:
Melanoma is a form of skin cancer which develops in the cells that produce melanin.

Melanoma further can be can be split up as (melas = black + oma =disease or morbidity)



Regards,
V

melissa
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Postby melissa » Tue Jun 12, 2007 10:41 pm

Melanogaster as well, the horror of those who misunderstand fruitfly evo
My friend named her dog melanie
I said 'it's a white dog'
my bad

skinem
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Postby skinem » Wed Jun 13, 2007 12:21 pm

My friend named her dog melanie
I said 'it's a white dog'
my bad
:lol: I think you'll do fine here!

Welcome!

melissa
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melano

Postby melissa » Fri Jun 29, 2007 9:41 pm

thanks, skinem.
seriously, I suggested she name the dog 'boner'
linguistically correct!
no way, so i just called it 'melonhead'

Stargzer
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Re: Melancholy,Melanin

Postby Stargzer » Sat Jun 30, 2007 12:04 am

...

Another word derived from the same root which is familiar to us because of the TV commercials (Those sun screen lotion “wale” advertisements). The word is melanin.

Melanin (N): a dark pigment in the hair and the skin which is responsible for the tanning of the skin exposed to sunlight.

Context:
Melanoma is a form of skin cancer which develops in the cells that produce melanin.

Melanoma further can be can be split up as (melas = black + oma =disease or morbidity)

Regards,
V
For those who haven't seen it already, here's a look at melanoma and it's aftermath.
Regards//Larry

"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
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Lenetty
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Postby Lenetty » Wed Feb 22, 2012 2:43 am

Melanogaster as well, the horror of those who misunderstand fruitfly evo
My friend named her dog melanie
I said 'it's a white dog'
my bad
By theway, who is very curious the name melanie like it was said above has the Greek origin and the meaning of Melanie is "black, dark-skinned". The name was uncommon until the novel "Gone With the Wind" and its characcter Melanie Wilkes.

Perry Lassiter
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Postby Perry Lassiter » Wed Feb 22, 2012 1:47 pm

As skinnem said of melissa, lenetty, you'll do well here. Thanks again for resurrecting the old threads and bringing back to life comments from people we never met, but still miss, since they seem to have turned their interests elsewhere.
pl


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