Definition of "iris" []

• The pigmented, round, contractile membrane of the eye, suspended between the cornea and lens and perforated by the pupil. It regulates the amount of light entering the eye. (noun)
• Any of numerous plants of the genus Iris, having narrow sword-shaped leaves and showy, variously colored flowers. (noun)
• A rainbow or rainbowlike display of colors. (noun)
• An iris diaphragm. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The name iris, meaning a deified rainbow, which was given this group of plants by the ancients, shows a fine appreciation of their superb coloring, their ethereal texture, and the evanescent beauty of the blossom."
• "The different colors found among individuals in this portion of the eye give it the name iris ( "rainbow" G)."
• "Semi’s iris is Japanese, it must be Siberian then, someone else thought so too."