irido-

American  

1. a combining form of Latin origin used, with the meanings “rainbow,” “iridescent,” “iris (of the eye),” “Iris (the genus),” and “iridium,” in the formation of compound words.

   iridopupillary; iridosmine; iridotomy.

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irido- British  

combining form

1. denoting the iris of the eye or the genus of plants

   iridaceous

2. denoting a rainbow

   iridescent

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Usage

What does irido- mean? Irido- is a combining form used like a prefix with several meanings:

• In medicine, irido- can refer to the iris, the colored portion of the eye.
• In botany, it can refer to the genus Iris, a family of beautiful flowering plants.
• In chemistry, irido- represents the precious metallic element iridium.

Irido- can also denote “rainbow” and “iridescent.” In fact, irido- comes from the Greek îris, meaning “rainbow” and “iris.”As you likely guessed, the Greek îris is the source of the English word iris and the shimmering word iridescent. In Greek mythology, Iris was the goddess of the rainbow and acted as a messenger to the gods.What are variants of irido-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, irido- becomes irid-, as in iridectomy.

Etymology

Origin of irido-

Combining form representing New Latin, Latin, Greek īrid- (stem of îris ) rainbow, iris, etc.; iris