I"ris , n. (Zoöl.) Inner circle of an
oscillated color spot.
I"ris (?), n.;
pl. E. Irises (#), L. Irides (#). [L.
iris, iridis, the
goddess, Gr. &?;, &?;, the rainbow, iris of the eye, the plant Iris. Cf. Orris.]
1. (Class. Myth.) The goddess of the rainbow, and swift-footed messenger of the gods. Shak.
2. The rainbow. Sir T. Browne.
3. An appearance resembling the rainbow; a prismatic play of colors.
Tennyson.
4. (Anat.) The contractile membrane perforated by the pupil,
and forming the colored portion of the eye. See
Eye.
5. (Bot.) 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.
6. (Her.) See Fleur-de-lis, 2.
Hear it pronounced