Iota. From the name of the smallest letter of the Greek alphabet. “Jot” is a softened form of this word.
Iowa. Indian for “the sleepy-ones”; applied by the Sioux to the Pahoja or Graysnow tribe.
Ireland. From Ierne, Gaelic for “western isle.” The Greeks, who heard of it through the Milesians, called this remote land of the west Iernis, and the Romans Hibernia.
Ireland Yard. This property in Blackfriars was made over by its owner, William Ireland, to Shakespeare, as appears in the deed of conveyance now preserved in the Guildhall Library.
Irish Invincibles. A secret society whose members made it their boast that they defied extermination. Carey, the informer, openly declared that their mission was “the making of history by killing tyrants.” The Phœnix Park murders were the work of the “Invincibles.”
Irishman’s Crossing. An Americanism for the mode of many people anxious to cut off corners by crossing and recrossing the street, by which process one’s way is actually made longer.
Irish Stew. So called because among the Irish peasantry the beef is generally absent, the stew consisting wholly of onions and potatoes.
Iron Chancellor. The sobriquet of Prince Bismarck, Chancellor of the German Empire, on account of his iron will.
Iron City. Pittsburg, world renowned for its ironworks.
Iron Devil. An inn sign corrupted from “The Hirondelle,” or swallow.