Anatomy
iris Audio
i·ris [ ahy-ris ]
Subclass of:
Anterior eyeball segment; Uvea
Etymology:
Greek iris = rainbow
In Greek the word iris was used of any bright colored circle. Iris also was the name of a messenger of the gods.
Definitions related to iris (eye):
  • (eye, iris) The tissue in the eye that separates the anterior chamber from the posterior chamber.
    CDISC Terminology
    Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC), 2021
  • (iris) Most anterior portion of the uveal layer, separating the anterior chamber from the posterior; consists of two layers, the stroma and the pigmented epithelium; color of the iris depends on the amount of melanin in the stroma on reflection from the pigmented epithelium.
    CRISP Thesaurus
    National Institutes of Health, 2006
  • (iris) The colored disc of the eye composed of connective tissue, epithelium, and endothelium. It separates the anterior chamber from the posterior chamber.
    NCI Thesaurus
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • (iris) The colored ring in front of the lens that controls the size of the pupil and how much light enters the eye.
    Harvard Dictionary of Health Terms
    Harvard Medical Publishing, 2011
  • (iris) The colored tissue at the front of the eye that contains the pupil in the center. The iris helps control the size of the pupil to let more or less light into the eye.
    NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • (iris) The most anterior portion of the uveal layer, separating the anterior chamber from the posterior. It consists of two layers - the stroma and the pigmented epithelium. Color of the iris depends on the amount of melanin in the stroma on reflection from the pigmented epithelium.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
  • Iris, in anatomy, the pigmented muscular curtain near the front of the eye, between the cornea and the lens, that is perforated by an opening called the pupil. The iris is located in front of the lens and ciliary body and behind the cornea. It is bathed in front and behind by a fluid known as the...
    Encyclopedia Britannica
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2020
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