D defs.my
Entry 8 senses Webster, 1913

Iris

/ī'rĭs/ · I·ris · IPA /ˈaɪ.ɹɪs/
01 n. The goddess of the rainbow, and swift-footed messenger of the gods.
pl. Irises, Irides ((#))
  1. 1.
    The goddess of the rainbow, and swift-footed messenger of the gods.(Class. Myth.)
  2. 2.
    The rainbow.
  3. 3.
    An appearance resembling the rainbow; a prismatic play of colors.
  4. 4.
    The contractile membrane perforated by the pupil, and forming the colored portion of the eye. See Eye.(Anat.) See: Eye
  5. 5.
    A genus of plants having showy flowers and bulbous or tuberous roots, of which the flower-de-luce (fleur-de-lis), orris, and other species of flag are examples. See Illust. of Flower-de-luce.(Bot.) See: Flower-de-luce
  6. 6.
    See Fleur-de-lis, 2.(Her.) See: Fleur-de-lis
  7. 7.
    the inner circle of an oscillated color spot.(Zool.)
  8. 8.
    same as iris diaphragm. See: iris diaphragm