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Webster 1913 Edition

Iris

I′ris

,
Noun.
;
pl. E.
Irises
(#)
, L.
Irides
(#)
.
[L.
iris
,
iridis
, the goddess, Gr. [GREEK], [GREEK], 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.

Webster 1828 Edition

Iris

I'RIS

,
Noun.
plu.
irises. [L. iris, iridis, the rainbow.]
1.
The rainbow.
2.
An appearance resembling the rainbow.
3.
The colored circle which surrounds the pupil of the eye, by means of which that opening is enlarged and diminished.
4.
The changeable colors which sometimes appear in the glasses of telescopes, microscopes, &c.
5.
A colored spectrum which a triangular glass prism casts on a wall, when placed at a due angle in the sun-beams.
6.
The flower-de-lis, or flag-=flower, a genus of many species.

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