iris

Definitions  ·  Examples  ·  Pronunciations  ·  Etymologies  ·  Related  ·  Statistics  ·  Comments (2)  · 
I very much doubt the spectrum of light reflected by the iris is a "pre-operative diagnostic measurement," given the broadest, reasonable claim construction consistent with the specification.

View all »
Definitions (28)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. noun 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.
  2. noun Any of numerous plants of the genus Iris, having narrow sword-shaped leaves and showy, variously colored flowers.
  3. noun A rainbow or rainbowlike display of colors.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (20)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (3)

Toggle elsewhere links Elsewhere on the web

View all »
Examples (50)

  • On the wall opposite the iris was a long and flexible stalk with a cartilaginous ruff around its free end. —  Thrilling Wonder Stories April, 1953
  • With its numerous fibers and colors, the iris is as unique as your fingerprints. —  BellaOnline - The Voice of Women
  • Iris Recognition - The patterns within the iris are also a unique feature of every individual and can be used as proof of identity. —  itwales.com - top headlines
  • "He actually had some damage to his iris, which is not serious, fortunately," team GM Steve Kerr said, according to the Arizona Republic. —  ESPN.com
  • I have received preprints of papers wherein support for the iris was found, but where this was omitted in the published version of the papers.
 

Tags

Sign up or sign in to add tags.

Stats

This word has been looked up 121 times.

On Twitter

Photos from

flickr images

Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English, iris (the plant), from Latin īris, īrid-, rainbow, iris (the plant), from Greek, rainbow, brightly-colored gemstone, iris of the eye; see wei- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English iris, a precious stone; = French iris = Spanish Portuguese iris = Italian iride, from Latin iris, from Greek ἰρις, the rainbow (Ἰρις, Latin Iris, the goddess of the rainbow), the iris of the eye, a kind of lily.
 

Pronunciations
Record your own »

/ˈaɪrɪs/
by American Heritage

Charts

frequency chart

Bubble size: how much this word was used in a year

Bubble height: used more or less than expected, vs. all uses evenly distributed

You can expect to see this word about twice a month.

Recently looked up

Sadness · sensitivity · dsl · wich · boob

Recent Favorites

pygopagus · sanglant · Astacus · sweetbread · qualms

Recent Pronunciations

k for teria · a for a disiac · American · qroqqadile · pound it until it is well grinned