iris

Etymology

From Middle English [Term?], from Latin īris, from Ancient Greek ἶρις (îris, “rainbow”). Presuming an earlier form *ϝῖρις (*wîris), possibly from a derivative of Proto-Indo-European *w(e)ih₁-ro- (“a twist, thread, cord, wire”), from *weh₁y- (“to turn, twist, weave, plait”). If so, it would be cognate to English wire.

Pronunciation

• enPR: ī'rĭs
  • (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˈaɪ.ɹɪs/

    • Audio (California):

      (file)

  • (Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈaɪ.ɹɪs/, [ˈʌɪ.ɹɪs]
  • (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈɑɪ.ɹɪs/
• Rhymes: -aɪɹɪs

Noun

iris (plural irises or iris or irides) (See Usage notes)

2. (botany) A plant of the genus Iris, common in the northern hemisphere, and generally having attractive blooms (See Iris (plant) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia ).
   • 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, “Afterglow”, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC, page 168:

     Breezes blowing from beds of iris quickened her breath with their perfume; she saw the tufted lilacs sway in the wind, and the streamers of mauve-tinted wistaria swinging, all a-glisten with golden bees; she saw a crimson cardinal winging through the foliage, and amorous tanagers flashing like scarlet flames athwart the pines.

4. (anatomy) The contractile membrane perforated by the pupil, which adjusts to control the amount of light reaching the retina, and which forms the colored portion of the eye (See Iris (anatomy) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia ).
5. (photography, cinematography) A diaphragm used to regulate the size of a hole, especially as a way of controlling the amount of light reaching a lens.
6. (poetic) A rainbow, or other colourful refraction of light.
7. (electronics) A constricted opening in the path inside a waveguide, used to form a resonator.
8. (zoology) The inner circle of an oscillated color spot.

Verb

iris (third-person singular simple present irises, present participle irising, simple past and past participle irised)

1. (of an aperture, lens, or door) To open or close in the manner of an iris.
2. (literary) To cause (something) to shine with the colours of the rainbow; to make iridescent.

   Synonym: iridize

   • 1834, Jacob Abbott, chapter 1, in The Corner-Stone‎, Boston: William Peirce, page 31:

     Pure, transparent, glistening in the sun, and irised by a thousand hues, which float and wave and spread in graceful and ceaseless motion on its surface!

   • 1987, Charles Tomlinson, “Winter Journey”, in The Return‎, Oxford University Press, page 35:

     The sun as it comes indoors out of space
     Has left a rainbow irising each glass—
     A refraction, caught then multiplied
     From the crystal tied within our window,

Anagrams

• Siri

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔiˈɾis/ [ʔiˈɾis]
• Hyphenation: i‧ris

Noun

irís (Basahan spelling ᜁᜍᜒᜐ᜔)

1. (anatomy) side of the body

   Synonyms: tagiliran, hirog

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin īris, from Ancient Greek ἶρις (îris).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈi.ɾis]

Noun

iris m (invariable)

1. iris (part of the eye)

Further reading

• “iris” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin īris or Middle French iris (itself from Latin), from Ancient Greek ἶρις (îris).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈiː.rɪs/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: iris
• Homophone: Iris

Noun

iris f (plural irissen, diminutive irisje n)

1. (anatomy) iris (coloured part of the eye)

   Synonym: regenboogvlies

2. Synonym of lis (“plant of genus Iris”)

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

iris

1. past of iri

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin iris, Ancient Greek ἶρις (îris).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /i.ʁis/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

iris m (plural iris)

1. iris

Further reading

• “iris”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈiris/

Verb

iris

1. past of irar

Noun

iris (plural iris-iris)

1. slice

Verb

mengiris

1. to slice