iris
Anatomy. the contractile, circular diaphragm forming the colored portion of the eye and containing a circular opening, the pupil, in its center.
Botany. any plant of the genus Iris, having showy flowers and sword-shaped leaves.: Compare iris family.
a flower of this plant.
(initial capital letter)Classical Mythology. a messenger of the gods, regarded as the goddess of the rainbow.
a rainbow.
any appearance resembling a rainbow.
Movies, Television. an iris-in or iris-out.
Optics, Photography. iris diaphragm.
Movies. to begin or end a take or scene with an iris-in or iris-out, achieved by manipulation of an iris diaphragm on the camera or by editing the film.
Origin of iris
1Words Nearby iris
Other definitions for Iris (2 of 2)
a female given name.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use iris in a sentence
In her new day job at an artificial intelligence company, iris is using her precocious aptitude for neuroscience and behavioral psychology to research sexual attraction.
A New Season of The Girlfriend Experience Gives Us Yet Another Exploration of Tech and Male Desire | Judy Berman | April 30, 2021 | TimeMechanical eyes as well as human ones use an iris to let in light.
A New Season of The Girlfriend Experience Gives Us Yet Another Exploration of Tech and Male Desire | Judy Berman | April 30, 2021 | TimeEach region of the grid is a “location” on the image—one location might contain the iris of an eye, while another might contain the tip of his nose.
Geoffrey Hinton has a hunch about what’s next for AI | Siobhan Roberts | April 16, 2021 | MIT Technology ReviewHis company creates applications powered by fingerprints, iris scans and now with facial recognition to identify someone when they enter a building … including shelters for the homeless … food banks… and public schools.
Podcast: Facial recognition is quietly being used to control access to housing and social services | Tate Ryan-Mosley | December 2, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewSeeing light text on a dark screen allows the iris in our eyes to be more burdened.
Why dark mode web designs are gaining popularity | Amanda Jerelyn | September 30, 2020 | Search Engine Watch
The Black PrinceBy iris Murdoch This is my favourite novel of all time and is structurally extremely (and successfully) ambitious.
The Most Unreliable Narrators, From Agatha Christie to Iris Murdoch | Sophie Hannah | April 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe same is true for iris Dart, who has adapted her book Beaches (later a popular film) for the stage.
iris (name has been changed) has become one such “status symbol.”
Inside China’s Mistress-Industrial Complex | Junheng Li, Bethany Allen, Ana Swanson | February 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTiris Van Herpen and Delphine Manivet each have a technical mastery that falls within the luxurious customs of haute couture.
“Do not dare come to our country,” Venezuelan Minister of Prison Affairs iris Varela shot back.
The iris of the human eye dilates and contracts with every shift of illumination, and the Time Observatory had an iris too.
The Man from Time | Frank Belknap LongThe light that came through the machine's iris was faint at first, the barest glimmer of white in deep darkness.
The Man from Time | Frank Belknap LongThere were morning-glories for the mid-summer season, peonies and iris for the spring, and chrysanthemums for autumn.
The Dragon Painter | Mary McNeil FenollosaWalking beside the brook, I suddenly found the green spears of an iris plant amid the grasses.
The Idyl of Twin Fires | Walter Prichard EatonThen I spied the centrepiece–a glass vase bearing three fresh iris buds from the brookside.
The Idyl of Twin Fires | Walter Prichard Eaton
British Dictionary definitions for iris (1 of 2)
/ (ˈaɪrɪs) /
the coloured muscular diaphragm that surrounds and controls the size of the pupil
Also called: fleur-de-lys any plant of the iridaceous genus Iris, having brightly coloured flowers composed of three petals and three drooping sepals: See also flag 3, orris 1, stinking iris
Also called: rainbow quartz a form of quartz that reflects light polychromatically from internal fractures
a rare or poetic word for rainbow
something resembling a rainbow; iridescence
short for iris diaphragm
Origin of iris
1British Dictionary definitions for Iris (2 of 2)
/ (ˈaɪrɪs) /
the goddess of the rainbow along which she travelled to earth as a messenger of the gods
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for iris
[ ī′rĭs ]
The colored, muscular ring around the pupil of the eye in vertebrate animals, located between the cornea and lens. Contraction and expansion of the iris controls the size of the pupil, thereby regulating the amount of light reaching the retina.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for iris
[ (eye-ris) ]
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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