iridescence

American  

[ir-i-des-uhns] / ˌɪr ɪˈdɛs əns /

noun

1. iridescent quality; a play of lustrous, changing colors.

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Other Word Forms

• noniridescence noun

Etymology

Origin of iridescence

First recorded in 1795–1805; irid- + -escence

Explanation

Iridescence is a shiny, glowing quality. The bright, colorful surface of a soap bubble is beautiful because of its iridescence. Aside from the soapy bubbles you can blow and watch sailing away in the air, certain seashells and butterfly wings also have the property of iridescence. The iridescence of an oyster or abalone shell lining is called "mother of pearl," and a pearl is a gem that also has iridescence. This noun comes from the adjective iridescent, which originally meant "rainbow-colored," from the Latin root iris, "rainbow."

Example Sentences

The team found that sea silk's iridescence is created by a spherical protein structure known as "photonin."

From Science Daily • Feb. 9, 2026

Tentacular growths begin to invade the offshore structure, shimmering with oily iridescence against the rig’s dull, cold steel.

From New York Times • Jun. 17, 2024

Her eyes are turquoise and sparkly; her feathers a silky black with a sheen of iridescence, sometimes green, sometimes lavender depending on the light.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 21, 2024

At 5 millimeters long, the new species is large for a member of the Bembidion genus, and when looked at under magnification its brown color has a green-and-gold iridescence.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2023

The boulders show and seem to rise up and the ocean recedes leaving little pools, leaving wet weed and moss and sponge, iridescence and brown and blue and China red.

From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck