IRISING

Verb

irising

present participle of iris

Source: Wiktionary


IRIS

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



RESET




Word of the Day

30 January 2025

HYPERICISM

(noun) a severe dermatitis of herbivorous domestic animals attributable to photosensitivity from eating Saint John’s wort


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

Espresso is both a coffee beverage and a brewing method that originated in Italy. When making an espresso, a small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure forces through finely-ground coffee beans. It has more caffeine per unit volume than most coffee beverages. Its smaller serving size will take three shots to equal a mug of standard brewed coffee.

coffee icon