Iris /(?)/

I·ris

Iris

n.

pl. Irises, Irides

  1. The goddess of the rainbow, and swift-footed messenger of the gods. (Class. Myth.)
  2. The rainbow.
  3. An appearance resembling the rainbow; a prismatic play of colors.
  4. The contractile membrane perforated by the pupil, and forming the colored portion of the eye. See Eye. (Anat.)
  5. A genus of plants having showy flowers and bulbous or tuberous roots, of which the flower-de-luce (fleur-de-lis), orris, and other species of flag are examples. See Illust. of Flower-de-luce. (Bot.)
  6. See Fleur-de-lis, 2. (Her.)
  7. the inner circle of an oscillated color spot. (Zool.)
  8. same as iris diaphragm.