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• iris
  iris

  noun

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

  noun

  a female given name.

iris

¹ American  

[ahy-ris] / ˈaɪ rɪs /

noun

• irises,
  plural
• irides
  plural

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.

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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.

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iris ¹ 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

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Iris ² British  

/ ˈaɪrɪs /

noun

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

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iris Scientific  

/ ī′rĭs /

• irises
  plural

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.

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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.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• irides
  plural
• irises
  plural

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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”

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Explanation

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

iris Iris irides irises

Last year, the researchers created an artificial muscle disk inspired by the human iris, demonstrating how a thin layer of living cells could produce precisely controlled movements.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026

Clinicians are gathering iris scans, voice recordings and harnessing AI to crunch through and curate masses of data to spot signs of change that may be early indicators of future problems.

From BBC ● May 22, 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

In one pudgy hand she carried a slightly smashed prairie rose, in the other a bent wild iris.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

But that was not enough to convince Iris Yang, who attended a free preview screening of the film on Thursday for acquaintances of the production team and industry workers.

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026

Speaking at the screening of mystery-thriller Black Church Bay at the Iris Prize Festival, the Downton Abbey and House of the Dragon actor said representation mattered.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

Yi-Han Iris Yin, a PhD student in the Department of Physics and the Hong Kong Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics at The University of Hong Kong, led the analysis of the high-energy emission.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026

Times fellow Iris Kwok contributed to this report.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

Like Iris Chacon inside a washing machine during an earthquake, Richter scale 8.9.

From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez

Warner's prose duplicates the irides cent beauty of elfin life.

From Time Magazine Archive

This bird proved to be one of the remarkably handsome pale varieties of Buteo vulgaris, the whole plumage of a warm cream-colour, slightly mottled and splashed above with dark brown; irides dark and claws white.

From Wild Spain (Espa?a agreste) Records of Sport with Rifle, Rod, and Gun, Natural History Exploration by Walter J. Buck

Tail rounded: legs pale: irides hazel: bill rather small and black, compressed the whole length, and having weak bristles at its base.

From Zoological Illustrations, Volume III or Original Figures and Descriptions of New, Rare, or Interesting Animals by William Swainson

It has red legs, crimson irides, a rosy beak tipped with black, and coral-red wing-spurs; and these spots of bright colour add to its bold striking appearance.

From Argentine Ornithology, Volume II (of 2) A descriptive catalogue of the birds of the Argentine Republic. by W. H. (William Henry) Hudson

The upper plumage of the young at that date is mottled brown, irides brown.

From Wild Spain (Espa?a agreste) Records of Sport with Rifle, Rod, and Gun, Natural History Exploration by Walter J. Buck

About a month ago, an artist going by @redteneri posted a drawing on X/Twitter of Harry Potter character Draco Malfoy as a girl with long blond hair, hoop earrings, and green irises.

From Slate ● Oct. 29, 2026

His attentive eyes, rendered to suggest both irises and pupils, are cast to one side—sizing up, perhaps, a nearby talker—and his lips are parted, as though he himself is about to speak.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 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

Even so, his eyes look glossier, and the blue irises take on a lovely, reflective sheen.

From "Legend" by Marie Lu

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