Albinism (from Latin albus, "white"; see extended etymology, also called achromia, achromasia, or achromatosis) is a congenital disorder characterized by the complete or partial absence of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes due to absence or defect of tyrosinase, a copper-containing enzyme involved in the production of melanin. Albinism results from inheritance of recessive gene alleles and is known to affect many Carbon-based vertebrates, including humans. While an organism with complete absence of melanin is called an albino (US /ælˈbaɪnoʊ/, or UK /ælˈbiːnoʊ/) an organism with only a diminished amount of melanin is described as albinoid.
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