iris

¹ American  

[ahy-ris] / ˈaɪ rɪs /

noun

plural

irises, irides

1. Anatomy. the contractile, circular diaphragm forming the colored portion of the eye and containing a circular opening, the pupil, in its center.

2. Botany. any plant of the genus Iris, having showy flowers and sword-shaped leaves.

3. a flower of this plant.

4. (initial capital letter) a messenger of the gods, regarded as the goddess of the rainbow.

5. a rainbow.

6. any appearance resembling a rainbow.

7. Movies, Television. an iris-in or iris-out.

8. Optics, Photography. iris diaphragm.

---

verb (used without object)

1. Movies. to begin or end a take or scene with an iris-in or iris-out, achieved by manipulation of an iris diaphragm on the camera or by editing the film.

Iris ² American  

[ahy-ris] / ˈaɪ rɪs /

noun

1. a female given name.

---

Iris ¹ British  

/ ˈaɪrɪs /

noun

1. the goddess of the rainbow along which she travelled to earth as a messenger of the gods

---

iris ² British  

/ ˈaɪrɪs /

noun

1. the coloured muscular diaphragm that surrounds and controls the size of the pupil

2. Also called: fleur-de-lys.  any plant of the iridaceous genus Iris, having brightly coloured flowers composed of three petals and three drooping sepals See also flag 3 orris 1 stinking iris

3. Also called: rainbow quartz.  a form of quartz that reflects light polychromatically from internal fractures

4. a rare or poetic word for rainbow

5. something resembling a rainbow; iridescence

6. short for iris diaphragm

---

iris Scientific  

/ ī′rĭs /

plural

irises

1. The colored, muscular ring around the pupil of the eye in vertebrate animals, located between the cornea and lens. Contraction and expansion of the iris controls the size of the pupil, thereby regulating the amount of light reaching the retina.

---

iris Cultural  

1. The colored membrane of the eye, surrounding the pupil, which by contracting and expanding regulates the amount of light that enters the eye.

---

Etymology

Origin of iris

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin Īris, īris, from Greek Îris, îris “rainbow, goddess of the rainbow, halo, iris flower or root, iridescent crystal”; in some senses, from New Latin, from Greek: “diaphragm of eye”

Example Sentences

Sitting on his living room couch this week, Rodriguez said doctors told him the projectile that hit him in his eye damaged his iris, cornea and lens.

From Los Angeles Times

The gadget relies on iridology, a technique by which iris colors and markings are believed to reveal information about a person's health, but which is generally considered scientifically unreliable.

From Barron's

When he turned to face her, his eyes were blank, whites without irises, the same as hers when she let her hair down.

From Literature

In recent months, the agency has greenlighted a contract for a tool that can scan subjects’ irises and recruited several artificial-intelligence-fueled companies to locate immigrants.

From The Wall Street Journal

And the Sam Altman-backed World project aims to scan every iris on Earth for its anonymous identification platform—if privacy concerns don’t get in the way.

From The Wall Street Journal