Iris \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.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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