pigmentation

noun

pig·men·ta·tion ˌpig-mən-ˈtā-shən

-ˌmen-

: coloration with pigment : the deposition or presence of pigment

… exposure to high levels of UV light increases pigmentation and reduces skin elasticity …

Lina Cekaite and Hanne Groegaard

The genetically blue lobsters get their color by inheriting two recessive genes for the pigmentation of their shells …

Leslie Gourse

At some point during the third trimester of pregnancy, a mysterious dark line appears on the belly. Not to worry, it's just a case of excess pigmentation.

Shawn Doherty

: pigment

Fine pigmentation for use in airbrush … (when properly thinned).

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Vitiligo is an autoimmune disorder that leads to the loss of skin pigmentation.

Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 20 Oct. 2022 About 30% of the 450 people who received active treatment as part of two studies saw a dramatic improvement in facial pigmentation after six months.

Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 20 Oct. 2022 Azelaic acid is has been shown to even out pigmentation and improve skin tone.

Megan Decker, refinery29.com, 4 Oct. 2022 In fact, a severe deficiency in folate can result in a condition called folate-deficiency anemia which has symptoms like hair thinning and pigmentation changes in the hair.

Valerie Agyeman, Good Housekeeping, 29 Sep. 2022 Often blind and lacking pigmentation, many cave-dwelling species live longer than their surface-dwelling relatives, thanks to slower metabolisms—a common evolutionary adaptation to subterranean life.

Wired, 10 July 2022 In the summer of 2006, Nicholas Eastaugh, a world authority on pigmentation analysis, travelled to Geneva.

Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2022 As a 2017 study published in the journal Cell Stem Cell found, UV rays stimulate melanoma tumor growth after exceeding a mutation threshold, which varies based on people's natural levels of melanin, the skin's pigmentation.

Dezimey Kum, USA TODAY, 15 June 2022 Setting sprays help melt your makeup into your skin for a more natural finish while at the same time extending the wear and pigmentation of your look.

Cristina Montemayor, SELF, 26 Sep. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pigmentation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of pigmentation was in 1867

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Pigmentation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pigmentation. Accessed 7 Dec. 2022.

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Kids Definition

pigmentation

noun

pig·men·ta·tion ˌpig-mən-ˈtā-shən

-ˌmen-

: a coloring with pigment

especially : an amount of bodily pigment that is greater than normal

Medical Definition

pigmentation

noun

pig·men·ta·tion ˌpig-mən-ˈtā-shən, -ˌmen-

: coloration with pigment : the deposition or presence of pigment

Increased skin pigmentation, reflecting high concentrations of circulating corticotropin, may be present in patients with long-standing adrenal disease …

Mark S. Cooper et al., The New England Journal of Medicine

When applied topically, minoxidil stimulates thickening and pigmentation of the fine vellus hairs on a proportion of the scalps of bald men.

Samuel M. Lesko et al., The Journal of the American Medical Association