melena

See also: Melena

English

Alternative forms

• melaena, melæna

Etymology

From New Latin melaena, based on Ancient Greek μέλαινα (mélaina, “black”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɪˈliːnə/, /məˈliːnə/
• (US) IPA^(key): /məˈliːnə/, often IPA^(key): /ˈmɛlɪnə/

Noun

melena (uncountable)

1. The passage of dark, tarry stools containing blood, a result of upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

Coordinate terms

• hematochezia (not to be confused; bright red blood in stool)
• rectorrhagia (not to be confused; bright red blood independently of stools)

Anagrams

• Leeman, Manele, enamel, manele

Galician

Melenas

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /meˈlena/ [meˈle.nɐ]
• Rhymes: -ena
• Hyphenation: me‧le‧na

Etymology 1

Unknown. Perhaps ultimately from Arabic, or from a substrate language.

Noun

melena f (plural melenas)

1. pelt cushion which protects the head of an ox when yoked

   Synonym: mulida

2. bangs, fringe
3. mane

   Synonyms: crecha, manela, garnacha, guedella, moleira

Etymology 2

Etymology tree

Ancient Greek μέλαινα (mélaina)

Latin melēnalbor.

Galician melena

Learned borrowing from Latin melēna, from Ancient Greek μέλαινα (mélaina, “black”).

Noun

melena f (plural melenas)

1. (pathology) melena

References

• Antón Santamarina, editor (2006–2013), “melena”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Santamarina, Ernesto X. González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “melena”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “melena”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Indonesian

Etymology

Learned borrowing from New Latin melaena, from Ancient Greek μέλαινα (mélaina, “black”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /məˈlena/ [məˈle.na]
• Rhymes: -ena
• Syllabification: me‧le‧na

Noun

melena (uncountable)

1. (pathology) melena

Further reading

• “melena”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Italian

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μέλαινα (mélaina, “black”).

Noun

melena f (plural melene)

1. (pathology) melena

Spanish

melena

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /meˈlena/ [meˈle.na]
• Rhymes: -ena
• Syllabification: me‧le‧na

Etymology 1

From Andalusian Arabic مُلَيِّنَة, from classical Arabic مُلَيِّنَة (mulayyina, “softening”).

Noun

melena f (plural melenas)

1. mane (longer hair growth around head of male lions)

   Synonym: crin

Derived terms

• desmelenar (“to dishevel, ruffle the hair of; to lose one's composure, let one's hair down”)

Etymology 2

Etymology tree

Ancient Greek μέλαινα (mélaina)

Latin melēnalbor.

Spanish melena

Learned borrowing from Latin melēna, from Ancient Greek μέλαινα (mélaina, “black”).

Noun

melena f (plural melenas)

1. (pathology) melena

Derived terms

• melénico

Further reading

• “melena”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025