# melasma

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A tan or dark skin discoloration, particularly common in pregnant women, thought to be caused by the stimulation of melanocytes by estrogen and progesterone.

## Etymology
From Latin melasma, from Ancient Greek μέλασμα (mélasma), from μελαίνειν (melaínein, “to blacken”) + -σμα (-sma), from μέλας (mélas, “black”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/melasma