iris
noun (1)
\ ˈī-rəs
\
\
plural irises
also irides\ ˈī-rə-ˌdēz
, ˈir-ə- \
, ˈir-ə- \
Definition of iris
(Entry 1 of 3)
1
: rainbow
2a
: the opaque contractile diaphragm perforated by the pupil and forming the colored portion of the eye — see eye illustration
3
also plural iris
: any of a large genus (Iris of the family Iridaceae, the iris family) of perennial herbaceous plants with linear usually basal leaves and large showy flowers
iris
verb
irised;
irising;
irises
Definition of iris (Entry 2 of 3)
: to make iridescent
Iris
noun (2)
\ ˈī-rəs
\
\
Definition of Iris (Entry 3 of 3)
: the Greek goddess of the rainbow and a messenger of the gods
Examples of iris in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Biometrics, such as fingerprints, iris scans and facial recognition to identify ourselves are other potential alternatives to Social Security numbers. — Kaya Yurieff, CNN, "Capital One hack exposed thousands of Social Security numbers. Why are we still using them as ID?," 30 July 2019 Question for Dan Gill: My Louisiana irises are just about finished blooming. — Dan Gill, nola.com, "Wait to transplant Louisiana irises until late summer," 14 Apr. 2019 Eight miles of grassy tundra and wild iris separate St. Michael and Stebbins. — Author: Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News, "For two brothers, two traumas and no justice," 26 July 2019 Eight miles of grassy tundra and wild iris separate St. Michael and Stebbins. — Kyle Hopkins, ProPublica, "Clergy Abused an Entire Generation in This Village. With New Traumas, Justice Remains Elusive.," 26 July 2019 The fragrance contains top notes of green cardamom and iris along with a clean, woody, spicy and smoky base. — Tara Paniogue, latimes.com, "Stylish life hacks for new parents," 11 July 2019 He was born with aniridia (absence of the iris) and eventually lost all of his sight in 2014. — Staff Report, Houston Chronicle, "UHD named as one of ‘20 Best Online Programs for Adults Going Back to School’," 14 June 2019 The backdrop is expansive gardens in full vernal splendor: 150 flowering cherry trees, alongside countless other flowers from daffodils to irises to 500,000 tulips. — National Geographic, "Best places to see cherry blossoms in the U.S.," 1 Mar. 2019 The same iris recognition used in earlier Lumia phones will help log you in. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Microsoft launches HoloLens 2 with a strong business bent," 24 Feb. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'iris.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for iris
iris
noun
English Language Learners Definition of iris
: the colored part of your eye
: a plant with long pointed leaves and large blue or yellow flowers
See the full definition for iris in the English Language Learners Dictionary
iris
noun
\ ˈī-rəs
\
\
Kids Definition of iris
1
: the colored part around the pupil of an eye
2
: a plant with long pointed leaves and large usually brightly colored flowers
iris
noun
\ ˈī-rəs
\
\
plural irises
or irides\ ˈī-rə-ˌdēz
, ˈir-ə-
\
, ˈir-ə-
\
Medical Definition of iris
1
: the opaque muscular contractile diaphragm that is suspended in the aqueous humor in front of the lens of the eye, is perforated by the pupil and is continuous peripherally with the ciliary body, has a deeply pigmented posterior surface which excludes the entrance of light except through the pupil and a colored anterior surface which determines the color of the eyes
2
: iris diaphragm
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