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pigmentary

pigmentary

7.0
Relating to the colour of skin, hair, or eyes
  • adjective
  • /ˈpɪɡmənˌtɛri/
  • Specialized
translation icon : pigmentario
  • The doctor explained that pigmentary disorders can affect skin color and health.

Examples

  • Certain pigmentary conditions may require specialized treatments to manage symptoms.

  • Studies of pigmentary traits in animals can help scientists understand genetic variations.

  • The left eye showed chronic pigmentary changes of the macula without active disease.

    Academic text (2007)
  • I hear the word Zonulin and think of zonules, the little 'threads' that I'm told are responsible for rubbing against my iris and subsequently shedding pigment, leading to my pigmentary glaucoma.

    Blog text (12)

Synonyms

pigmented
vspigmentary
2 4.6

Having visible color on skin or a surface

is used in medical contexts to describe features linked to color-producing substances

How Pigmented

hyperpigmented
  • Specialized
8.4
pigmentary
  • Specialized
7.0
unpigmented
  • Specialized
7.1

Surface Forms

pigmentary positive

Morphology

pigmentary = pigment (transparent) = pigment + ary

The adjective is directly formed from the noun 'pigment' with the productive suffix '-ary' meaning 'related to', so its meaning is predictable.

Etymology

Pigmentary comes from the Latin root pigmentum, from a verb meaning 'to paint', and it is the source of the English word pigment. Think of 'paint'—pigments are the tiny parts that give skin, eyes or wings their colour, so pigmentary means 'relating to pigment' or 'containing colour'.