A.“ὠκέα Ἶρις” Il.2.786, al., Hes. l.c.; “ὦκα δὲ Ἶρις” Il.23.198 (Pap.); possibly also fr. *Ἐϝῖρις: Εἶρις is the name of a ship, IG22.1611c137 (iv B.C.), but ἶρις is written in Michel832 (Samos, iv B.C.): allegorized as προφορικὸς λόγος and derived from εἴρω by Stoic.2.43.)
II. as Appellat., ἶρις , ἡ, gen. “ἴριδος” Thphr.CP6.11.13, also εως Androm. ap. Gal.14.43, POxy.1088.34 (i A.D.), Gp.6.8.1; acc. ἶριν Michel l.c., Plu.2.664e, “ἴριδα” Nic.Al.406; Ep. dat. pl. ἴρισσιν (v. infr.):—rainbow, “δράκοντες . . , ἴρισσιν ἐοικότες, ἅς τε Κρονίων ἐν νέφεϊ στήριξε, τέρας μερόπων ἀνθρώπων” Il.11.27, cf.Arist.Mete.375a1, Epicur. Ep.2p.51U.
2. any bright-coloured circle surrounding another body, as the lunar rainbow, Arist.Mete.375a18; halo of candle, Thphr.Sign.13; round the eyes of a peacock's tail, Luc.Dom.11; the iris of the eye, Ruf.Onom.24, [Gal.] 14.702; also, section through the ciliary region, Gal.UP10.2.
3. iridescent garment, Michell.c.
4. various species of the botanical genus iris, e.g. the purple Iris, I. germanica or pallida, “εὐάνθεμον ἶριν” AP4.1.9 (Mel.); “τὸ ἄνθος πολλὰς ἔχει ἐν αὑτῷ ποικιλίας” Arist.Col.796b26, cf. Plin.HN21.40; also, the white variety of it, I. florentina, from the rhizome of which the orris-root of commerce is made, Thphr.HP1.7.2, CP6.11.13, etc.; “ἶρις Ἰλλυρική” Dsc.1.1, cf. Plin.HN13.14: in this sense some wrote it oxyt. ἰρίς , ίδος, Eust.391.33, Sch.Nic.l.c.
5. a precious stone, Plin.HN 37.136.
