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, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From Middle English , 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 .
This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium . Particularly: “Online Etymology Dictionary: The eye region was so called (early 15c. in English) for being the part that gives color to the eye; the Greek word was used of any brightly colored circle, "as that round the eyes of a peacock's tail" ”
Pronunciation
Noun
A plant of the genus Iris .
Illustration showing parts of the human eye, including the iris.
Frontal view of the iris of a human eye.
iris (plural irises or iris or irides ) (See Usage notes)
( 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.
( 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 ).
( 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 .
( poetic ) A rainbow , or other colourful refraction of light.
( electronics ) A constricted opening in the path inside a waveguide , used to form a resonator .
( zoology ) The inner circle of an oscillated color spot .
Usage notes
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.
Quotations
For quotations using this term, see Citations:iris .
Derived terms
Translations
plant of the genus Iris
Afrikaans: iris
Armenian: հիրիկ (hy) ( hirik )
Bulgarian: ирис m ( iris ) , перуника f ( perunika )
Catalan: lliri (ca) m , iris (ca) m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 鳶尾花 / 鸢尾花 (zh) ( yuānwěi huā )
Cornish: elester ( collective ) , elestren f
Czech: kosatec (cs) m
Danish: iris (da) c
Dutch: lis (nl) m or n , iris (nl) m or f
Faroese: mækja f
Finnish: kurjenmiekka (fi)
French: iris (fr) m
Galician: lirio (gl) m
Georgian: ზამბახი ( zambaxi )
German: Iris (de) f , Schwertlilie (de) f
Greek: ίρις (el) f ( íris )
Hebrew: אִירוּס (he) m ( írus )
Hungarian: nőszirom (hu) , írisz (hu)
Irish: glóiriam m , ireas m
Italian: iris (it) m , giaggiolo (it) m
Japanese: 菖蒲 (ja) ( あやめ, ayame )
Kazakh: qūrtqaşaş sg , құртқашаш sg ( qūrtqaşaş )
Korean: 붓꽃 (ko) ( butkkot ) , 창포 (ko) ( changpo )
Latvian: īriss (lv) m
Lithuanian: vilkdalgis m
Macedonian: перуника f ( perunika ) , ирис m ( iris )
Maori: mīkoikoi
Middle English: flourdelis
Navajo: niteel bitʼąąʼ łánígíí
Norwegian: sverdlilje m or f , mækje m or f
Persian: زنبق (fa) ( zanbaq )
Plautdietsch: Schelplelje f
Polish: irys (pl) m , kosaciec (pl) m
Portuguese: íris (pt) m
Romanian: iris (ro) m , stânjen (ro) m , stânjenel (ro) m
Russian: и́рис (ru) m ( íris ) , каса́тик (ru) m ( kasátik )
Scottish Gaelic: seileastair m
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: и̑рис m , перу̀ника f
Roman: ȋris (sh) m , perùnika (sh) f
Slovene: perunika f
Spanish: lirio (es) m
Swahili: airisi
Swedish: iris (sv) c
Telugu: కంటిపాప (te) ( kaṇṭipāpa )
Turkish: süsen (tr) , iris (tr)
Vietnamese: diên vĩ (vi)
Yiddish: איריס ( iris )
part of the eye
Afrikaans: reënboogvlieg
Arabic: قُزَحِيَّة f ( quzaḥiyya )
Egyptian Arabic: قزحية f ( quzaḥeya ) , سواد العين m ( sawād el-ʕein )
Armenian: ծիածանաթաղանթ (hy) ( ciacanatʻaġantʻ ) , ակնածիածան (hy) ( aknaciacan )
Basque: please add this translation if you can
Bulgarian: ирис m ( iris )
Burmese: မျက်ဝန်း (my) ( myak-wan: ) , မျက်နက် (my) ( myaknak )
Catalan: iris (ca) m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 虹膜 (zh) ( hóngmó ) , 虹彩 (zh) ( hóngcǎi )
Cornish: byw an lagas , iris ?
Czech: duhovka (cs) f
Danish: regnbuehinde (da) , iris (da) c
Dutch: regenboogvlies (nl) n , iris (nl) m or f
Esperanto: iriso
Faroese: lithinna f
Finnish: värikalvo (fi) , iiris (fi)
French: iris (fr) m
Galician: iris (gl) m
Georgian: თვალის გარსი ( tvalis garsi ) , ფერადი გარსი ( peradi garsi )
German: Iris (de) f , Regenbogenhaut (de) f
Greek: ίρις (el) f ( íris ) , ίριδα (el) f ( írida )
Hebrew: קַשְתִית (he) f ( kashtít )
Hungarian: szivárványhártya (hu) , írisz (hu)
Irish: imreasc (ga) m , inteachán m , seall m
Italian: iride (it) f
Japanese: 虹彩 (ja) ( こうさい, kōsai )
Kazakh: nūrly qabyq sg
Khmer: ប្រស្រី ( prɑsrəy ) , អក្ខិ (km) ( akkʰe’ ) , កែវភ្នែក ( kaev pnɛɛk ) , អក្សិតារា ( akse’ taaraa )
Korean: 홍채 (ko) ( hongchae )
Kurdish:
Northern Kurdish: rengîne f
Latvian: varavīksnene f
Lithuanian: rainelė f
Macedonian: шареница f ( šarenica )
Maori: tiwha
Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
Navajo: anázhiin
Norwegian:
Bokmål: regnbuehinne m or f , iris (no) m
Nynorsk: regnbogehinne f , iris m
Persian: عنبیه (fa) ( 'enabiye )
Polish: tęczówka (pl) f
Portuguese: íris (pt) m
Romanian: iris (ro) n
Russian: ра́дужная оболо́чка (ru) f ( rádužnaja obolóčka ) , и́рис (ru) m ( íris )
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: и̑рис m , шарѐница f , ду̏жица f
Roman: ȋris (sh) m , šarènica (sh) f , dȕžica (sh) f
Slovene: šarenica (sl) f
Spanish: iris (es) m
Swedish: iris (sv) c , regnbågshinna (sv)
Tagalog: alikmata (tl) , inlaan , bahay-balintataw
Thai: ม่านตา ( mâan-dtaa )
Turkish: iris (tr)
Vietnamese: mống mắt
Volapük: lirid (vo)
Yiddish: איריס ( iris )
photography, cinematography: diaphragm
Further reading
Verb
iris (third-person singular simple present irises , present participle irising , simple past and past participle irised )
( of an aperture , lens , or door ) To open or close in the manner of an iris.
( 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,
Derived terms
Anagrams
Bikol Central
Pronunciation
IPA (key ) : /ʔiˈɾis/
Hyphenation: i‧ris
Noun
irís (Basahan spelling ᜁᜍᜒᜐ᜔ )
( anatomy ) side of the body
Synonyms: tagiliran , hirog
Catalan
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin īris , from Ancient Greek ἶρις ( îris ) .
Pronunciation
Noun
iris m (invariable )
iris ( part of the eye )
Derived terms
Further reading
Dutch
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin īris or Middle French iris (itself from Latin), from Ancient Greek ἶρις ( îris ) .
Pronunciation
Noun
iris f (plural irissen , diminutive irisje n )
( anatomy ) iris ( coloured part of the eye )
Synonym: regenboogvlies
Synonym of lis ( “ plant of genus Iris ” )
Esperanto
Pronunciation
Verb
iris
past of iri
French
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin iris , Ancient Greek ἶρις ( îris ) .
Pronunciation
Noun
iris m (plural iris )
iris
Derived terms
Further reading
Ido
Pronunciation
Verb
iris
past of irar
Indonesian
Noun
iris (first-person possessive irisku , second-person possessive irismu , third-person possessive irisnya )
slice
Verb
mengiris
to slice
Irish
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Old Irish iris f ( “ a thong or strap (from which a shield, bag, etc. is suspended) ” ) .
Noun
iris f (genitive singular irise , nominative plural irisí or irseacha or irste )
strap , sling ( for carrying )
Declension
Etymology 2
From Old Irish iress ( “ religion, creed, the (true) faith ” ) .
Noun
iris f (genitive singular irise )
( literary ) belief , faith , religion
Declension
Etymology 3
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium .)
Noun
iris f (genitive singular irise , nominative plural irisí )
Alternative form of oireas
magazine , journal
Synonym: irisleabhar
gazette
Declension
Derived terms
Etymology 4
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Noun
iris m
inflection of ireas ( “ iris ” ) :
genitive / vocative singular
nominative / dative plural
Mutation
Irish mutation
Radical
Eclipsis
with h -prothesis
with t -prothesis
iris
n-iris
hiris
not applicable
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.
References
^ Quiggin, E. C. (1906 ) A Dialect of Donegal , Cambridge University Press, page 43
^ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019 ), “iris ”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
^ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019 ), “ires(s) ”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
Further reading
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, 2013-2024
Italian
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin iris , Ancient Greek ἶρις ( îris ) .
Pronunciation
Noun
iris m or f (invariable )
iris ( flower )
Synonyms: giaggiolo , iride
Anagrams
Latin
Etymology 1
From Ancient Greek ἶρις ( îris ) .
Pronunciation
Noun
īris f (genitive īris or īridis ) ; third declension
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)
Declension
Third-declension noun (i-stem or imparisyllabic non-i-stem; two different stems).
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Pronunciation
Noun
īrīs
dative / ablative plural of īra
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἶρις ( îris , “ rainbow ” ) .
Noun
iris m (definite singular irisen , indefinite plural iriser , definite plural irisene )
( botany ) an iris ( flower )
( anatomy ) an iris ( part of the eye )
Synonym: regnbuehinne
References
“iris” in The Bokmål Dictionary .
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἶρις ( îris , “ rainbow ” ) .
Noun
iris m (definite singular irisen , indefinite plural irisar , definite plural irisane )
( botany ) an iris ( flower )
( anatomy ) an iris ( part of the eye )
Synonym: regnbogehinne
References
“iris” in The Nynorsk Dictionary .
Old Irish
Pronunciation
Noun
iris
Alternative spelling of iriss : accusative / dative singular of iress
Mutation
Old Irish mutation
Radical
Lenition
Nasalization
iris
unchanged
n-iris
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.
Portuguese
Noun
iris f (invariable )
Obsolete spelling of íris .
Romanian
Etymology
Borrowed from French iris , Latin iris , from Ancient Greek ἶρις ( îris ) .
Noun
iris n (plural irisuri )
( anatomy ) iris ( of the eye )
Declension
Noun
iris n (plural iriși )
( botany ) iris ( flower )
Synonyms: stânjenel , stânjen
Declension
Scottish Gaelic
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium .)
Compare Irish iris .
Noun
iris f (genitive singular irise , plural irisean )
magazine , periodical
Synonym: ràitheachan
Mutation
Scottish Gaelic mutation
Radical
Eclipsis
with h -prothesis
with t -prothesis
iris
n-iris
h-iris
t-iris
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.
Spanish
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin iris , Ancient Greek ἶρις ( îris ) .
Pronunciation
Noun
iris m (plural iris or írises )
( anatomy ) iris
Derived terms
Further reading