iris

[ ahy-ris ]

noun,plural i·ris·es, ir·i·des [ir-i-deez, ahy-ri-]. /ˈɪr ɪˌdiz, ˈaɪ rɪ-/.
  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.: Compare iris family.

  1. a flower of this plant.

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

  3. a rainbow.

  4. any appearance resembling a rainbow.

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

  6. 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.

Origin of iris

1
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”

Other definitions for Iris (2 of 2)

Iris
[ ahy-ris ]

noun
  1. a female given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use iris in a sentence

  • As she reached the irising door in the bulkhead, an electric eye opened it for her.

    A World Called Crimson | Darius John Granger
  • Sophia cried over her shoulder, irising the door and plunging from the room.

    Voyage To Eternity | Milton Lesser

British Dictionary definitions for iris (1 of 2)

iris

/ (ˈaɪrɪs) /


nounplural irises or irides (ˈaɪrɪˌdiːz, ˈɪrɪ-)
  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

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

  2. a rare or poetic word for rainbow

  3. something resembling a rainbow; iridescence

  4. short for iris diaphragm

Origin of iris

1
C14: from Latin: rainbow, iris (flower), crystal, from Greek

British Dictionary definitions for Iris (2 of 2)

Iris

/ (ˈaɪrɪs) /


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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for iris

iris

[ īrĭs ]


Plural irises irides (īrĭ-dēz′, ĭrĭ-)
  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.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for iris

iris

[ (eye-ris) ]


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

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.