Irisated adjective [ See Iris .] Exhibiting the prismatic colors; irised; iridescent. W. Phillips.

Iriscope noun [ Iris + - scope .] A philosophical toy for exhibiting the prismatic tints by means of thin films.

Irised adjective [ See Iris .] Having colors like those of the rainbow; iridescent. Holmes.

Irish adjective [ Anglo-Saxon ...risc , from ...ras the Irish. Confer Aryan , Erse .] Of or pertaining to Ireland or to its inhabitants; produced in Ireland.

Irish elk . (Zoology) See under Elk . -- Irish moss . (a) (Botany) Carrageen . (b) A preparation of the same made into a blanc mange. -- Irish poplin . See Poplin . -- Irish potato , the ordinary white potato, so called because it is a favorite article of food in Ireland. -- Irish reef , or Irishman's reef (Nautical) , the head of a sail tied up. -- Irish stew , meat, potatoes, and onions, cut in small pieces and stewed.

Irish noun sing. & plural
1. plural The natives or inhabitants of Ireland, esp. the Celtic natives or their descendants.

2. The language of the Irish; the Hiberno- Celtic.

3. An old game resembling backgammon.

Irish American A native of Ireland who has become an American citizen; also, a child or descendant of such a person.

Irishism noun A mode of speaking peculiar to the Irish; an Hibernicism.

Irishman noun ; plural Irishmen A man born in Ireland or of the Irish race; an Hibernian.

Irishman's hurricane (Nautical) , a dead calm. -- Irishman's reef . (Nautical) See Irish reef , under Irish , adjective

Irishry noun The Celtic people of Ireland. "The whole Irishry of rebels." Milton.

Iritis noun [ New Latin See Iris , and -itis .] (Medicine) An inflammation of the iris of the eye.

Irk (ẽrk) transitive verb [ Middle English irken to tire, become tired; confer Swedish yrka to urge, enforce, press, or German ekel disgust, Middle High German erklich disgusting; perhaps akin to Latin urgere to urge, English urge .] To weary; to give pain; to annoy; -- used only impersonally at present.

To see this sight, it irks my very soul.

Shak.

It irketh him to be here.

M. Arnold.

Irksome adjective
1. Wearisome; tedious; disagreeable or troublesome by reason of long continuance or repetition; as, irksome hours; irksome tasks.

For not to irksome toil, but to delight,
He made us.

Milton.

2. Weary; vexed; uneasy. [ Obsolete]

Let us therefore learn not to be irksome when God layeth his cross upon us.

Latimer.

Syn. -- Wearisome; tedious; tiresome; vexatious; burdensome. -- Irksome , Wearisome , Tedious . These epithets describe things which give pain or disgust. Irksome is applied to something which disgusts by its nature or quality; as, an irksome task. Wearisome denotes that which wearies or wears us out by severe labor; as, wearisome employment. Tedious is applied to something which tires us out by the length of time occupied in its performance; as, a tedious speech.

Wearisome nights are appointed to me.

Job vii. 3.

Pity only on fresh objects stays,
But with the tedious sight of woes decays.

Dryden.

-- Irk"some*ly , adverb -- Irk"some*ness , noun

Iron (ī"ŭrn) noun [ Middle English iren , Anglo-Saxon īren , īsen , īsern ; akin to Dutch ijzer , Old Saxon īsarn , Old High German īsarn , īsan , German eisen , Icelandic īsarn , jārn , Swedish & Danish jern , and perhaps to English ice ; confer Ir. iarann , W. haiarn , Armor. houarn .]

1. (Chemistry) The most common and most useful metallic element, being of almost universal occurrence, usually in the form of an oxide (as hematite , magnetite , etc.), or a hydrous oxide (as limonite , turgite , etc.). It is reduced on an enormous scale in three principal forms; viz., cast iron , steel , and wrought iron . Iron usually appears dark brown, from oxidation or impurity, but when pure, or on a fresh surface, is a gray or white metal. It is easily oxidized (rusted) by moisture, and is attacked by many corrosive agents. Symbol Fe (Latin Ferrum ). Atomic weight 55.9. Specific gravity, pure iron, 7.86; cast iron, 7.1. In magnetic properties, it is superior to all other substances.

» The value of iron is largely due to the facility with which it can be worked. Thus, when heated it is malleable and ductile, and can be easily welded and forged at a high temperature. As cast iron , it is easily fusible; as steel , is very tough, and (when tempered) very hard and elastic. Chemically, iron is grouped with cobalt and nickel. Steel is a variety of iron containing more carbon than wrought iron, but less that cast iron. It is made either from wrought iron, by roasting in a packing of carbon ( cementation ) or from cast iron, by burning off the impurities in a Bessemer converter (then called Bessemer steel ), or directly from the iron ore (as in the Siemens rotatory and generating furnace).

2. An instrument or utensil made of iron; -- chiefly in composition; as, a flat iron , a smoothing iron , etc.

My young soldier, put up your iron .

Shak.

3. plural Fetters; chains; handcuffs; manacles.

Four of the sufferers were left to rot in irons .

Macaulay.

4. Strength; power; firmness; inflexibility; as, to rule with a rod of iron .

Bar iron . See Wrought iron (below). -- Bog iron , bog ore; limonite. See Bog ore , under Bog . -- Cast iron (Metal.) , an impure variety of iron, containing from three to six percent of carbon, part of which is united with a part of the iron, as a carbide, and the rest is uncombined, as graphite. It there is little free carbon, the product is white iron ; if much of the carbon has separated as graphite, it is called gray iron . See also Cast iron , in the Vocabulary. -- Fire irons . See under Fire , noun -- Gray irons . See under Fire , noun -- Gray iron . See Cast iron (above). -- It irons (Nautical) , said of a sailing vessel, when, in tacking, she comes up head to the wind and will not fill away on either tack. -- Magnetic iron . See Magnetite . -- Malleable iron (Metal.) , iron sufficiently pure or soft to be capable of extension under the hammer; also, specif., a kind of iron produced by removing a portion of the carbon or other impurities from cast iron, rendering it less brittle, and to some extent malleable. -- Meteoric iron (Chemistry) , iron forming a large, and often the chief, ingredient of meteorites. It invariably contains a small amount of nickel and cobalt. Confer Meteorite . -- Pig iron , the form in which cast iron is made at the blast furnace, being run into molds, called pigs . -- Reduced iron . See under Reduced . -- Specular iron . See Hematite . -- Too many irons in the fire , too many objects requiring the attention at once. -- White iron . See Cast iron (above). -- Wrought iron (Metal.) , the purest form of iron commonly known in the arts, containing only about half of one per cent of carbon. It is made either directly from the ore, as in the Catalan forge or bloomery, or by purifying ( puddling ) cast iron in a reverberatory furnace or refinery. It is tough, malleable, and ductile. When formed into bars, it is called bar iron .

Iron (ī"ŭrn) adjective [ Anglo-Saxon īren , īsen . See Iron , noun ]

1. Of, or made of iron; consisting of iron; as, an iron bar, dust.

2. Resembling iron in color; as, iron blackness.

3. Like iron in hardness, strength, impenetrability, power of endurance, insensibility, etc.; as:

(a) Rude; hard; harsh; severe.

Iron years of wars and dangers.

Rowe.

Jove crushed the nations with an iron rod.

Pope.

(b) Firm; robust; enduring; as, an iron constitution.

(c) Inflexible; unrelenting; as, an iron will.

(d) Not to be broken; holding or binding fast; tenacious. "Him death's iron sleep oppressed." Philips.

» Iron is often used in composition, denoting made of iron , relating to iron , of or with iron ; producing iron , etc.; resembling iron, literally or figuratively, in some of its properties or characteristics; as, iron -shod, iron -sheathed, iron -fisted, iron -framed, iron -handed, iron -hearted, iron foundry or iron -foundry.

Iron age . (a) (Myth.) The age following the golden, silver, and bronze ages, and characterized by a general degeneration of talent and virtue, and of literary excellence. In Roman literature the Iron Age is commonly regarded as beginning after the taking of Rome by the Goths, A. D. 410. (b) (Archæol.) That stage in the development of any people characterized by the use of iron implements in the place of the more cumbrous stone and bronze. -- Iron cement , a cement for joints, composed of cast-iron borings or filings, sal ammoniac, etc. -- Iron clay (Min.) , a yellowish clay containing a large proportion of an ore of iron. -- Iron cross , a Prussian order of military merit; also, the decoration of the order. -- Iron crown , a golden crown set with jewels, belonging originally to the Lombard kings, and indicating the dominion of Italy. It was so called from containing a circle said to have been forged from one of the nails in the cross of Christ. -- Iron flint (Min.) , an opaque, flintlike, ferruginous variety of quartz. -- Iron founder , a maker of iron castings. -- Iron foundry , the place where iron castings are made. - - Iron furnace , a furnace for reducing iron from the ore, or for melting iron for castings, etc.; a forge; a reverberatory; a bloomery. -- Iron glance (Min.) , hematite. -- Iron hat , a headpiece of iron or steel, shaped like a hat with a broad brim, and used as armor during the Middle Ages. -- Iron horse , a locomotive engine. [ Colloq.] -- Iron liquor , a solution of an iron salt, used as a mordant by dyers. -- Iron man (Cotton Manuf.) , a name for the self-acting spinning mule. -- Iron mold or mould , a yellow spot on cloth stained by rusty iron. -- Iron ore (Min.) , any native compound of iron from which the metal may be profitably extracted. The principal ores are magnetite, hematite, siderite, limonite, Göthite, turgite, and the bog and clay iron ores. -- Iron pyrites (Min.) , common pyrites, or pyrite. See Pyrites . -- Iron sand , an iron ore in grains, usually the magnetic iron ore, formerly used to sand paper after writing. -- Iron scale , the thin film which forms on the surface of wrought iron in the process of forging. It consists essentially of the magnetic oxide of iron, Fe ₃ O ₄ . -- Iron works , a furnace where iron is smelted, or a forge, rolling mill, or foundry, where it is made into heavy work, such as shafting, rails, cannon, merchant bar, etc.

Iron transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Ironed ; present participle & verbal noun Ironing .]

1. To smooth with an instrument of iron; especially, to smooth, as cloth, with a heated flatiron; -- sometimes used with out .

2. To shackle with irons; to fetter or handcuff. " Ironed like a malefactor." Sir W. Scott.

3. To furnish or arm with iron; as, to iron a wagon.

Iron (ī"ŭrn) noun (Golf) An iron-headed club with a deep face, chiefly used in making approaches, lifting a ball over hazards, etc.

Iron works See under Iron , adjective

Iron-cased adjective Cased or covered with iron, as a vessel; ironclad.

Iron-fisted adjective Closefisted; stingy; mean.

Iron-gray adjective Of a gray color, somewhat resembling that of iron freshly broken. -- noun An iron-gray color; also, a horse of this color.

Iron-hearted adjective Hard- hearted; unfeeling; cruel; as, an iron-hearted master. Cowper.

Iron-sick adjective (Nautical) Having the ironwork loose or corroded; -- said of a ship when her bolts and nails are so eaten with rust that she has become leaky.

Iron-sided adjective Having iron sides, or very firm sides.

Ironbark tree (Botany) The Australian Eucalyptus Sideroxylon , used largely by carpenters and shipbuilders; -- called also ironwood .

Ironbound adjective
1. Bound as with iron; rugged; as, an ironbound coast.

2. Rigid; unyielding; as, ironbound traditions.

Ironclad adjective
1. Clad in iron; protected or covered with iron, as a vessel for naval warfare.

2. Rigorous; severe; exacting; as, an ironclad oath or pledge. [ Colloq.]

Ironclad noun A naval vessel having the parts above water covered and protected by iron or steel usually in large plates closely joined and made sufficiently thick and strong to resist heavy shot.

Ironer noun One who, or that which, irons.

Ironheads noun (Botany) A European composite herb ( Centaurea nigra ); -- so called from the resemblance of its knobbed head to an iron ball fixed on a long handle. Dr. Prior.

Ironic adjective Ironical. Sir T. Herbert.

Ironical adjective [ Late Latin ironicus , Greek ... dissembling: confer French ironique . See Irony .]

1. Pertaining to irony; containing, expressing, or characterized by, irony; as, an ironical remark.

2. Addicted to the use of irony; given to irony.

-- I*ron"ic*al*ly , adverb -- I*ron"ic*al*ness , noun

Ironing noun
1. The act or process of smoothing, as clothes, with hot flatirons.

2. The clothes ironed.

Ironing board , a flat board, upon which clothes are laid while being ironed.

Ironish adjective Resembling iron, as in taste. Wood.

Ironist noun One who uses irony.

Ironmaster noun A manufacturer of iron, or large dealer therein. Bp. Hurd.

Ironmonger noun A dealer in iron or hardware.

Ironmongery noun Hardware; a general name for all articles made of iron. Gwilt.

Ironsides noun A cuirassier or cuirassiers; also, hardy veteran soldiers; -- applied specifically to Cromwell's cavalry.

Ironsmith noun
1. A worker in iron; one who makes and repairs utensils of iron; a blacksmith.

2. (Zoology) An East Indian barbet ( Megalaima faber ), inhabiting the Island of Hainan. The name alludes to its note, which resembles the sounds made by a smith.

Ironstone noun A hard, earthy ore of iron.

Clay ironstone . See under Clay . -- Ironstone china , a hard white pottery, first made in England during the 18th century.

Ironware noun Articles made of iron, as household utensils, tools, and the like.

Ironweed noun (Botany) A tall weed with purplish flowers ( Vernonia Noveboracensis ). The name is also applied to other plants of the same genus.

Ironwood noun (Botany) A tree unusually hard, strong, or heavy wood.

» In the United States, the hornbeam and the hop hornbeam are so called; also the Olneya Tesota , a small tree of Arizona; in the West Indies, the Erythroxylon areolatum , and several other unrelated trees; in China, the Metrosideros vera ; in India, the Mesua ferrea , and two species of Inga ; in Australia, the Eucalyptus Sideroxylon , and in many countries, species of Sideroxylon and Diospyros , and many other trees.

Ironwork noun Anything made of iron; -- a general name of such parts or pieces of a building, vessel, carriage, etc., as consist of iron.

Ironwort noun (Botany) An herb of the Mint family ( Sideritis ), supposed to heal sword cuts; also, a species of Galeopsis .

Irony adjective [ From Iron .]

1. Made or consisting of iron; partaking of iron; iron; as, irony chains; irony particles. [ R.] Woodward.

2. Resembling iron in taste, hardness, or other physical property.

Irony noun [ Latin ironia , Greek ... dissimulation, from ... a dissembler in speech, from ... to speak; perhaps akin to English word : confer French ironie .]

1. Dissimulation; ignorance feigned for the purpose of confounding or provoking an antagonist.

2. A sort of humor, ridicule, or light sarcasm, which adopts a mode of speech the meaning of which is contrary to the literal sense of the words.

Iroquoian (ĭr`o*kwoi" a n) adjective Of, pertaining to, or designating, one of the principal linguistic stocks of the North American Indians. The territory of the northern Iroquoian tribes, of whom the Five Nations, or Iroquois proper, were the chief, extended from the shores of the St. Lawrence and of Lakes Huron, Ontario, and Erie south, through eastern Pennsylvania, to Maryland; that of the southern tribes, of whom the Cherokees were chief, formed part of Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky. All of the tribes were agricultural, and they were noted for large, communal houses, palisaded towns, and ability to organize, as well as for skill in war. -- noun An Indian of an Iroquoian tribe.

Iroquois noun sing. & plural [ French] (Ethnol.) A powerful and warlike confederacy of Indian tribes, formerly inhabiting Central New York and constituting most of the Five Nations. Also, any Indian of the Iroquois tribes.

Irous adjective [ Old French iros , from ire . See Ire .] Irascible; passionate. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.