n.
The passage of black, tarry stools composed largely of blood that has been acted on by gastric juices, indicative of bleeding in the upper digestive tract.
[New Latin melēna, from Greek melaina, feminine of melās, black.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
