iris

From Middle English iris, 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.

• 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

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 ).

   Synonym: fleur-de-lis

   • 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.

• For the part of the eye, the most common plural is irises, though irides is usual in medical contexts.
• For the flower both iris and irises are in common use.

For quotations using this term, see Citations:iris.

• Iris (plant) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Iris (anatomy) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

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^[1], 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^[2], 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,

• irised

• Siri

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

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

iris m (invariable)

1. iris (part of the eye)

• arc iris

• iridectomia
• iridi
• iridià
• irídic

• “iris”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

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

irís (Basahan spelling ᜁᜍᜒᜐ᜔)

1. (anatomy) side of the body

   Synonyms: tagiliran, hirog

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

• IPA^(key): /ˈiː.rɪs/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: iris
• Homophone: Iris

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”)

• IPA^(key): /ˈiris/

• Audio 1:

  (file)

• Audio 2:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iris
• Syllabification: i‧ris

iris

1. past of iri

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

• IPA^(key): /i.ʁis/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (Switzerland (Valais)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Somain)):

  (file)

iris m (invariable)

1. iris

• iris d'eau

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

• IPA^(key): /ˈiris/

iris

1. past of irar

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈiris/ [ˈi.rɪs]
• Rhymes: -iris
• Syllabification: i‧ris

Inherited from Malay iris.

iris (plural iris-iris)

1. slice

iris (active mengiris, passive diiris)

1. to slice

Borrowed from Dutch iris (“iris”), from Middle French iris, from Latin īris, from Ancient Greek ἶρις (îris).

iris (plural iris-iris)

1. (anatomy, photography, cinematography) iris

• “iris”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

• IPA^(key): /ˈiɾʲəʃ/^[1]

From Old Irish iris f (“a thong or strap (from which a shield, bag, etc. is suspended)”).^[2]

iris f (genitive singular irise, nominative plural irisí or irseacha or irste)

1. strap, sling (for carrying)

• Alternative plural forms: irseacha, irste, irsteacha

From Old Irish iress (“religion, creed, the (true) faith”).^[3]

iris f (genitive singular irise)

1. (literary) belief, faith, religion

• ireas

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

iris f (genitive singular irise, nominative plural irisí)

1. alternative form of oireas
2. magazine, journal

   Synonym: irisleabhar

3. gazette

• iriseoireacht f (“journalism”)

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

iris m

1. inflection of ireas (“iris”):
   1. genitive/vocative singular
   2. nominative/dative plural

• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1927), “iris”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 2nd edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 616; reprinted with additions 1996, →ISBN
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “iris”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959), “iris”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “iris”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013–2026

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

• IPA^(key): /ˈi.ris/
• Rhymes: -iris
• Hyphenation: ì‧ris

iris m or f (invariable)

1. iris (flower)

   Synonyms: giaggiolo, iride

• Risi, risi

From Ancient Greek ἶρις (îris).

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈiː.rɪs]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈiː.ris]

īris f (genitive īris or īridis); third declension

1. rainbow
   • Late 4th century, Jerome [et al.], transl., edited by Roger Gryson, Biblia Sacra: Iuxta Vulgatam Versionem (Vulgate), 5th edition, Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, published 2007, →ISBN, Apocalypsis [Revelation] 10:1:

     et vīdī alium angelum fortem dēscendentem dē caelō amictum nūbe, et īris in capite eius, et faciēs eius erat ut sōl, et pedēs eius tamquam columna ignis

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Third-declension noun (i-stem or imparisyllabic non-i-stem; two different stems).

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈiː.riːs]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈiː.ris]

īrīs

1. dative/ablative plural of īra

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἶρις (îris, “rainbow”).

iris m (definite singular irisen, indefinite plural iriser, definite plural irisene)

1. (botany) an iris (flower)
2. (anatomy) an iris (part of the eye)

   Synonym: regnbuehinne

• “iris” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἶρις (îris, “rainbow”).

iris m (definite singular irisen, indefinite plural irisar, definite plural irisane)

1. (botany) an iris (flower)
2. (anatomy) an iris (part of the eye)

   Synonym: regnbogehinne

• “iris” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

• IPA^(key): /ˈi.ɾʲəsʲ/
  • (Blasse) [ˈi.ɾʲɪsʲ]
  • (Griffith) [ˈi.ɾʲɨsʲ]

iris

1. alternative spelling of iriss: accusative/dative singular of iress

iris f (invariable)

1. pre-reform spelling (used until 1943 in Brazil and 1911 in Portugal) of íris

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

iris n (plural irisuri)

1. (anatomy) iris (of the eye)

iris n (plural iriși)

1. (botany) iris (flower)

   Synonyms: stânjenel, stânjen

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) Compare Irish iris.

iris f (genitive singular irise, plural irisean)

1. magazine, periodical

   Synonym: ràitheachan

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

• IPA^(key): /ˈiɾis/ [ˈi.ɾis]
• Rhymes: -iɾis
• Syllabification: i‧ris

iris m (plural iris or írises)

1. (anatomy) iris

• “iris”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025