n.
A rare hereditary skin disorder caused by a defect in the enzymes that repair DNA damaged by ultraviolet light.
[New Latin xēroderma pigmentōsum : xēroderma, xeroderma + pigmentōsum, neuter of pigmentōsus, of pigment.]
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.