Iris
from
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)
iris
n 1: plants with sword-shaped leaves and erect stalks bearing
bright-colored flowers composed of three petals and three
drooping sepals [syn: {iris}, {flag}, {fleur-de-lis},
{sword lily}]
2: muscular diaphragm that controls the size of the pupil which
in turn controls the amount of light that enters the eye; it
forms the colored portion of the eye
3: diaphragm consisting of thin overlapping plates that can be
adjusted to change the diameter of a central opening [syn:
{iris}, {iris diaphragm}]
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
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.
[1913 Webster]
2. The rainbow. --Sir T. Browne.
[1913 Webster]
3. An appearance resembling the rainbow; a prismatic play of
colors. --Tennyson.
[1913 Webster]
4. (Anat.) The contractile membrane perforated by the pupil,
and forming the colored portion of the eye. See {Eye}.
[1913 Webster]
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}.
[1913 Webster]
6. (Her.) See {Fleur-de-lis}, 2.
[1913 Webster]
7. (Zool.) the inner circle of an oscillated color spot.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
8. same as {iris diaphragm}.
[PJC]
from
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
98 Moby Thesaurus words for "iris":
Dalmatian, antigorite, baby blues, band, banjo eyes, bar,
bespangle, bespeckle, bespot, blotch, bright eyes, butterfly,
candy cane, chameleon, check, checker, cheetah, chrysotile,
clear eyes, confetti, cornea, crazy quilt, dapple, dot, eye,
eyeball, eyelid, firedog, flake, fleck, freckle, goggle eyes,
harlequin, iridesce, iridize, jaguar, lens, leopard, lid, mackerel,
mackerel sky, maculate, marble, marbled paper, marbleize, moire,
mother-of-pearl, motley, mottle, nacre, naked eye,
nictitating membrane, ocelot, oculus, opal, opalesce, ophite,
optic, optic nerve, orb, organ of vision, patchwork quilt, peacock,
peeper, pepper, polychrome, polychromize, popeyes, pupil, rainbow,
retina, saucer eyes, sclera, serpentine, serpentine marble,
shot silk, spangle, speck, speckle, spectrum, splotch, spot,
sprinkle, starry orbs, stigmatize, stipple, streak, striate,
stripe, stud, tattoo, tessellate, tortoise shell, unaided eye,
variegate, vein, visual organ, zebra
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