irid

¹

[ ahy-rid ]

noun

1. any plant belonging to the Iridaceae, the iris family.

irid-

²

1. variant of irido- before a vowel:

   iridectomy.

Word History and Origins

Origin of irid¹

1865–70; < New Latin, Latin īrid-, stem of īris iris

Example Sentences

I′ridal, Irid′ian, exhibiting the colours of the iris or rainbow: prismatic.—ns.

From Project Gutenberg

They were wide open, now, and the light of a sunny mid-day streamed in upon her face through the window, yet the upper part of the irid was darkened by the heavy fringe that matched in line the well-defined brows.

From Project Gutenberg

In the south of England the name is given to the Irid�a edūlis, also an edible red sea-weed.

From Project Gutenberg

He felt, what possibly the primitive and pure of heart feel most keenly . . . the presence of the Great Unknown, He who is the fountain source of love, and whose hands on the sable parchment of the northern skies perchance write, in irid traceries of fire, mystic messages of hope which none, of all humanity, during all the centuries, has ever learned entirely to understand.

From Project Gutenberg

Certain turns of phrase, peculiar to him of old, were peculiar to him still; and so was many a trick of eye and lip, many a smile, many a sudden ray levelled from the irid, under his well-charactered brow.

From Project Gutenberg

Words That Use Irid-

What does irid- mean?

Irid- is a combining form used like a prefix with several meanings:

• In medicine, irid- can refer to the iris, the colored portion of the eye.
• In botany, it can refer to the genus Iris, a family of beautiful flowering plants.
• In chemistry, irid- represents the precious metallic element iridium.

Irid- can also denote “rainbow” and “iridescent.” In fact, irid- comes from the Greek îris, meaning “rainbow” and “iris.”

As you likely guessed, the Greek îris is the source of the English word iris and the shimmering word iridescent. In Greek mythology, Iris was the goddess of the rainbow and acted as a messenger to the gods.

Irid- is a variant of irido-, which loses its -o– when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels.

Want to know more? Read our Words That Use irido- article.

Examples of irid-

A term from medicine that features the combining form irid- is iridectomy, “excision of part of the iris.”

In medical terms, irid- represents “iris,” the colored part of the eye. The -ectomy part of the word is a combining form meaning “excision, removal.” Iridectomy literally translates to “iris removal.”

What are some words that use or are related the combining form irid-?

• iridaceous
• iridesis
• irideremia
• iridectome
• iridentropium
• iridous
• iridize

What are some other forms that irid- may be commonly confused with?

• idio-
• ideo-
• iod-

While they may look and sound alike, irid- and arid are not related. Learn about the meaning and history of arid at our entry for the word.

Break it down!

The suffix -ous has the general sense of “possessing, full of” a given quality. With this in mind, what does the term iridous mean in chemistry, broadly speaking?