albino

1 of 2

noun

al·​bi·​no al-ˈbī-(ˌ)nō 

plural albinos

: an organism exhibiting deficient pigmentation

especially : a human being who is congenitally deficient in pigment and usually has a milky or translucent skin, white or colorless hair, and eyes with pink or blue iris and deep-red pupil

albino

2 of 2

adjective

: exhibiting the deficient pigmentation characteristic of albinos

albino sharks

The Draize test commonly uses six rabbits (preferably of the albino strain because of the clarity of their red eyes) to test a substance for eye irritancy.

—Rachel Urquhart

Examples of albino in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Her final carousel photo was a shot of two hyper-realistic albino alligator props. —Catherine Santino, People.com, 31 Oct. 2024

But while Brit was able to look totally cool and collected while singing with the 7-foot albino Burmese python on her shoulders in 2001, the Houston rapper was a lot less calm. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 12 Sep. 2024

Adjective

There are also albino animals that lack most or all pigment. —Elizabeth Carlen, Discover Magazine, 31 Oct. 2024

In 2018, for example, a chimpanzee in Uganda gave birth to an albino baby, a vanishingly rare occurrence in the species. —Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Spanish & Portuguese; Portuguese albino, borrowed from Spanish, noun derivative of albino, adjective, "lacking in pigment," from albo "white" (borrowed from Latin albus) + -ino -ine entry 1 — more at album

Adjective

borrowed from Spanish, "lacking in pigment" — more at albino entry 1

Note: Alternatively the adjective could be from attributive use of the noun.

First Known Use

Noun

1708, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1785, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

albino

noun

al·​bi·​no al-ˈbī-nō 

plural albinos

: an organism deficient in coloring matter

especially : a human being or animal that is born with a lack of pigment and usually a milky skin, white or colorless hair, and eyes with pink or blue iris and deep red pupil

albinism

ˈal-bə-ˌniz-əm

al-ˈbī-

noun

albino adjective

Medical Definition

albino

noun

al·​bi·​no al-ˈbī-(ˌ)nō 

plural albinos

: an organism exhibiting deficient pigmentation

especially : a human being who is congenitally deficient in pigment and usually has a milky or translucent skin, white or colorless hair, and eyes with pink or blue iris and deep-red pupil

albinic

-ˈbin-ik 

adjective