iris
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iris¹
- /ˈaɪ.ɹɪs/ US, UK
- /ˈaɪ.ɹɪs/ Canada
- [ˈʌɪ.ɹɪs] Canada
- /ˈɑɪ.ɹɪs/ Australia
Rhymes with -aɪɹɪs
Where it comes from
From Middle English iris, from Latin īris, from Ancient Greek ἶρις (îris, “rainbow”). Presuming an earlier form *ϝῖρις (*wîris), possibly from a derivative of Proto-Indo-European *w(e)ih₁-ro- (“a twist, thread, cord, wire”), from *weh₁y- (“to turn, twist, weave, plait”). If so, it would be cognate to English wire.
noun irises · iris · irides
-
A plant of the genus Iris, common in the northern hemisphere, and generally having attractive blooms (See Iris (plant) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia ).
Breezes blowing from beds of iris quickened her breath with their perfume; she saw the tufted lilacs sway in the wind, and the streamers of mauve-tinted wistaria swinging, all a-glisten with golden bees; she saw a crimson cardinal winging through the foliage, and amorous tanagers flashing like scarl
Similar: fleur-de-lis
- The contractile membrane perforated by the pupil, which adjusts to control the amount of light reaching the retina, and which forms the colored portion of the eye (See Iris (anatomy) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia ).
- A diaphragm used to regulate the size of a hole, especially as a way of controlling the amount of light reaching a lens.
- A rainbow, or other colourful refraction of light.
- A constricted opening in the path inside a waveguide, used to form a resonator.
- The inner circle of an oscillated color spot.
verb irises · irising · irised
- To open or close in the manner of an iris.
-
To cause (something) to shine with the colours of the rainbow; to make iridescent.
Pure, transparent, glistening in the sun, and irised by a thousand hues, which float and wave and spread in graceful and ceaseless motion on its surface!
Similar: iridize
Iris²
Where it comes from
From Ancient Greek Ἶρις (Îris, “rainbow”).
proper noun
- A messenger of the gods, and goddess of rainbows. What's the matter, That this distemper'd messenger of wet, The many-colour'd Iris, rounds thine eye?
- A female given name from Ancient Greek; a flower name used since the end of the 19th century. Persia tells Iris she is named for something special: the iris of the eye. "I thought I was named for a flower," Iris says, disappointed. "An iris is a flower, of course," Persia says, smiling, "but it's this other, too. Our secret. 'The iris of the eye'." "The eye?" Persia snaps her fingers in Iris
- 7 Iris, a main belt asteroid.
IRIs³
noun
- plural of IRI
IRIS⁴
noun
- Acronym of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: sword lily, fleur-de-lis, iris diaphragm, flag, flower, bombe, diaphragm, septum, eye, retinal, repositor, ocular, rainbow, skirt, ris, dwarf
Translations
Every language
noun plant of the genus Iris
| Español | lirio |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 붓꽃 butkkot, 창포 changpo |
| 日本語 | 菖蒲 ayame |
| 中文 | 鳶尾花 /鸢尾花 yuānwěi huā |
| Kiswahili | airisi |
| Português | íris |
| Français | iris |
| Deutsch | Iris, Schwertlilie |
| Italiano | iris, giaggiolo |
| Ελληνικά | ίρις íris |
| Română | iris, stânjen, stânjenel |
| Русский | и́рис íris, каса́тик kasátik |
| Tiếng Việt | diên vĩ |
| עברית | אִירוּס írus |
noun part of the eye
| Español | iris |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 홍채 hongchae |
| 日本語 | 虹彩 kōsai |
| 中文 | 虹膜 hóngmó, 虹彩 hóngcǎi |
| Português | íris |
| Français | iris |
| Deutsch | Iris, Regenbogenhaut |
| Italiano | iride |
| Ελληνικά | ίρις íris, ίριδα írida |
| Română | iris |
| Русский | ра́дужная оболо́чка rádužnaja obolóčka, ра́дужка rádužka, и́рис íris |
| Tiếng Việt | mống mắt |
| العربية | قُزَحِيَّة quzaḥiyya |
| עברית | קַשְתִית kashtít |
Talk about this word "iris." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/iris. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. iris. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/iris "iris." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/iris.Cite this
@misc{iris_2026,
title = {iris},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/iris},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
