melatonin

See also: Melatonin

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:

melatonin

Wikipedia

Etymology

From mela- +‎ tone +‎ -in, ultimately from Ancient Greek μέλας (mélas, “black, dark”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌmɛləˈtəʊnɪn/
• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˌmɛləˈtoʊnɪn/

  • Audio (North Carolina):

    (file)

  • Audio:

    (file)

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˌmeləˈtəʉnɪn/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˌmeləˈtɐʉnən/

Noun

melatonin (usually uncountable, plural melatonins)

1. A hormone, related to serotonin, that is secreted by the pineal gland, and stimulates colour change in the skin of reptiles, and is involved in the sleep and wake and reproductive cycles in mammals.
   • 2019, Bill Bryson, The Body: A Guide for Occupants, Black Swan (2020), page 310:

     How exactly melatonin relates to sleep is still not understood.

   • 2025 December 9, Veronique Greenwood, “Your Bedroom Probably Isn't Dark Enough”, in TIME‎:

     Melatonin production can be delayed or arrested by even brief flashes of bright light entering the eye, research has shown.

2. Any material similar in its chemistry and effect to the natural hormone.

Derived terms

• melatonergic

Translations

hormone

Armenian: մելատոնին (hy) (melatonin) Azerbaijani: melatonin Belarusian: мелатані́н m (mjelatanín) Bulgarian: мелатоним m (melatonim) Catalan: melatonina f Chinese: Mandarin: 褪黑素 (zh) (tuìhēisù) Danish: melatonin c Dutch: melatonine (nl) Finnish: melatoniini (fi) French: mélatonine (fr) f Georgian: მელატონინი (melaṭonini) German: Melatonin (de) n Greek: μελατονίνη (el) f (melatoníni) Hungarian: melatonin (hu) Irish: meileatoinin f Italian: melatonina (it) f Japanese: メラトニン (ja) (meratonin) Korean: 멜라토닌 (mellatonin) Latvian: melatonīns m Odia: ମେଲାଟୋନିନ (melāṭonina) Persian: ملاتونین Polish: melatonina (pl) f Russian: мелатони́н (ru) m (melatonín) Spanish: melatonina (es) f Swedish: melatonin (sv) n Tamil: மெலட்டோனின் (melaṭṭōṉiṉ) Thai: เมลาโทนิน Turkish: melatonin Ukrainian: мелатоні́н m (melatonín) Welsh: melatonin m

Danish

Danish Wikipedia has an article on:

melatonin

Wikipedia ^da

Etymology

Borrowed from English melatonin.

Noun

melatonin c (singular definite melatoninen, not used in plural form)

1. melatonin

Declension

Declension of melatonin

common gender	singular
	indefinite	definite
nominative	melatonin	melatoninen
genitive	melatonins	melatoninens