Definition of iris

• n. - The goddess of the rainbow, and swift-footed messenger of the gods.
• n. - The rainbow.
• n. - An appearance resembling the rainbow; a prismatic play of colors.
• n. - The contractile membrane perforated by the pupil, and forming the colored portion of the eye. See Eye.
• n. - 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.
• n. - See Fleur-de-lis, 2.