Ἶρις

Ἶρις, ιδος, ἡ, acc. Ἶριν, voc. Ἶρι:—A. Iris, the messenger of the gods among themselves, Il. 8.398 (never in Od.), Hes. Th. 780, etc. (Perh. fr. Ϝῖρις, cf. 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, IG 22.1611c137 (iv B.C.), but ἶρις is written in Michel 832 (Samos, iv B.C.): allegorized as προφορικὸς λόγος and derived from εἴρω by Stoic. 2.43.) II. as Appellat., ἶρις, ἡ, gen. ἴριδος Thphr. CP 6.11.13, 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 peacockʼs tail, Luc. Dom. 11; the iris of the eye, Ruf. Onom. 24, [Gal.] 14.702; also, section through the ciliary region, Gal. UP 10.2. 3. iridescent garment, Michell.c. 4. various species of the botanical genus iris, e.g. the purple Iris, I. germanica or pallida, εὐάνθεμον ἶριν AP 4.1.9 (Mel.); τὸ ἄνθος πολλὰς ἔχει ἐν αὑτῷ ποικιλίας Arist. Col. 796b26, cf. Plin. HN 21.40; also, the white variety of it, I. florentina, from the rhizome of which the orris-root of commerce is made, Thphr. HP 1.7.2, CP 6.11.13, etc.; ἶρις Ἰλλυρική Dsc. 1.1, cf. Plin. HN 13.14: in this sense some wrote it oxyt. ἰρίς, ίδος, Eust. 391.33, Sch.Nic.l.c. 5. a precious stone, Plin. HN 37.136.