iris, iris diaphragm
(noun) diaphragm consisting of thin overlapping plates that can be adjusted to change the diameter of a central opening
iris
(noun) muscular diaphragm that controls the size of the pupil which in turn controls the amount of light that enters the eye; it forms the colored portion of the eye
iris, flag, fleur-de-lis, sword lily
(noun) plants with sword-shaped leaves and erect stalks bearing bright-colored flowers composed of three petals and three drooping sepals
Source: WordNet® 3.1
irides
plural of iris (part of the eye)
• irised
Source: Wiktionary
I"ris, n.; pl. E. Irises, L. Irides. Etym: [L. iris, iridis, the goddess, Gr. Orris.]
1. (Class. Myth.)
Definition: The goddess of the rainbow, and swift-footed messenger of the gods. Shak.
2. The rainbow. Sir T. Browne.
3. An appearance resembling the rainbow; a prismatic play of colors. Tennyson.
4. (Anat.)
Definition: The contractile membrane perforated by the pupil, and forming the colored portion of the eye. See Eye.
5. (Bot.)
Definition: 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.
6. (Her.)
Definition: See Fleur-de-lis, 2.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
29 May 2025
(adjective) characterized by careful evaluation and judgment; “a critical reading”; “a critical dissertation”; “a critical analysis of Melville’s writings”
The earliest credible evidence of coffee-drinking as the modern beverage appeared in modern-day Yemen. In the middle of the 15th century in Sufi shrines where coffee seeds were first roasted and brewed for drinking. The Yemenis procured the coffee beans from the Ethiopian Highlands.