The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
MELATONIN
Definition of MELATONIN
noun
A hormone, related to serotonin, that is secreted by the pineal gland, and stimulates colour change in the skin of reptiles, and is involved in the sleep and wake and reproductive cycles in mammals.
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
From mela- + tone + -in, ultimately from Ancient Greek μέλας (mélas, “black, dark”).
Etymology via Wiktionary (CC BY-SA).
Word DNA
Line of descent
- Ancient Greek
- English
One recorded step before English.
Deepest traced root
3rd
of 59 source languages in OUTLIER
12.4%
of traced words share this origin (10,302)
branch · 12.4% of traced words
How it is built
Same root, MELATONIN · 1 relative in the game
OUTLIER scores every word on how unusual it is, and that number is not published. Working it out at the board is the game.
MELATONIN in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 3 boards so far.
It first turned up on Day 145, 12 October 2026. The most recent board was Day 167, 3 November 2026. It was on the latest finished board.
First found by a player on Day 145, 12 October 2026.
Built from these letters
MELATONIN starts with M and ends with N. Sorted, its letters read AEILMNNOT - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. N appears more than once.
Could you have found MELATONIN?
OUTLIER is a daily word game. One grid, the same grid for everybody, and the words nobody else spots are the ones that pay. This word was on Day 145 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER