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Where does the word "iris" come from? It comes from Greek Iris, and was adopted directly into English (1300s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "iris" come from? It comes from Greek Iris, and was adopted directly into English (1300s).
Iris’s story begins in Greek: Iris meant “the goddess of the rainbow.” The goddess of the rainbow, who served as a messenger between gods and mortals. It reached English by 1300s as iris. Broadened from the goddess to the colorful part of the eye and a flowering plant. Today, iris means the colored, ring-shaped part of the eye, or a flowering garden plant.
- Stage 1 · Greek · ancient Iris "the goddess of the rainbow", the goddess of the rainbow, who served as a messenger between gods and mortals.
- Stage 2 · English · 1300s iris "the colored part of the eye, or a flowering plant", broadened from the goddess to the colorful part of the eye and a flowering plant.