Anatomy. the contractile, circular diaphragm forming the colored portion of the eye and containing a circular opening, the pupil, in its center.
Botany. any plant of the genus Iris, having showy flowers and sword-shaped leaves.
a flower of this plant.
(initial capital letter) a messenger of the gods, regarded as the goddess of the rainbow.
a rainbow.
any appearance resembling a rainbow.
Movies, Television. an iris-in or iris-out.
Optics, Photography. iris diaphragm.
the coloured muscular diaphragm that surrounds and controls the size of the pupil
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
Also called: rainbow quartz. a form of quartz that reflects light polychromatically from internal fractures
a rare or poetic word for rainbow
something resembling a rainbow; iridescence
short for iris diaphragm
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”
Your iris is the colored part of your eye that surrounds the black pupil in the center. If your irises are brown, you can say you have brown eyes. The job of the iris is to determine how large or small the pupil is, depending on the amount of light available. Your iris protects your eye's retina, by controlling how much light reaches it, and helps you to see. Another kind of iris is a bright flower with long, spiky leaves. Both irises take their names from the Greek iris, "rainbow."
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
World uses the iris for ID confirmation because it is the most unique part of a person, even more so than a fingerprint.
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026
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 ● Jan. 12, 2026
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 ● Dec. 27, 2025
Other procedures like laser depigmentation and iris implants have also been used to change the eye color, but may result in corneal damage or vision loss as well.
From Salon ● May 4, 2025
I hurt for all of us, even for that little dead iris that was never as special as I wanted it to be.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
Deutsche Bank analyst Benjamin Black believes Meta could achieve up to 35% lower data-center costs in 2027 using a combination of Iris and Nvidia chips.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
Times staff writer Iris Kwok contributed to this report.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
Iris Herrera, a 58-year-old self-employed woman, said she worried about a US military intervention in Cuba.
From Barron's ● May 21, 2026
And while the couple have since had another daughter, Iris, Lois continues to play a vital part in family life.
From BBC ● May 11, 2026
The goddess Iris must’ve been in a party mood too.
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
Warner's prose duplicates the irides cent beauty of elfin life.
From Time Magazine Archive
A white patch under the eye; head and neck black, lustrous with violet and green; back black; scapulars, great wing-coverts, speculum, and under parts, white; bill black; irides golden yellow; feet orange, with black membranes.
From British Birds in their Haunts by Johns, Rev. C. A.
Summer—head and neck black; lower part of the neck, tail, all the under plumage, white; upper plumage pale ash-grey; primaries white at the end; bill reddish brown; irides dark; legs vermilion.
From British Birds in their Haunts by Johns, Rev. C. A.
The bill is one inch one line long from the gape, and, with the irides, is red.
From Zoological Illustrations, Volume I or Original Figures and Descriptions of New, Rare, or Interesting Animals by Swainson, William
By the following January these young Stilts have acquired a black and white plumage; but the irides remain dark, and the legs a pale pink.
From Wild Spain (Espa?a agreste) Records of Sport with Rifle, Rod, and Gun, Natural History Exploration by Buck, Walter J.
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 ● Jan. 5, 2026
Since the 1990s, doctors have been performing medical keratopigmentation for people born without irises and certain other eye conditions.
From Salon ● May 4, 2025
White and purple irises line the paths beneath ancient horse chestnuts in full flower.
From BBC ● May 3, 2025
Bearded irises are a primary and much-loved crop on the farm, with nearly 200 varieties rowed out in their field.
From Seattle Times ● May 11, 2024
She could see, in this indulgence of sunlight, the patterns of his irises.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
