| − | '''Caucasian''' people have less [[melanin]] pigment in their skin than the average [[human being]]. Darker-skinned people regard them as "white" in contrast (see [[skin color]]). | + | '''Caucasian''' people have less [[melanin]] pigment in their skin than the average [[human being]]. Darker-skinned people regard them as "white" in contrast (see [[skin color]]). The term grew out of belief at the time that Europeans originated in the Caucasus (mountains between the Black and Caspian Seas), but this turned out not to be true, so the word Caucasian is in fact a misnomer. |