Irascible, ī-ras′i-bl, adj. susceptible of ire or anger: easily provoked: irritable.—n. Irascibil′ity.—adv. Iras′cibly. [Fr.,—L. irascibilisirasci, to be angry—ira, anger.]

Ire, īr, n. anger: rage: keen resentment.—adjs. Irate (ī-rāt′ or i-rāt′), enraged: angry; Ire′ful, full of ire or wrath: resentful.—adv. Ire′fully.—n. Ire′fulness. [L. ira, anger, irasci, irātus, to be angry.]

Irenic, ī-ren′ik, adj. tending to create peace: pacific—also Iren′ical.—n. Iren′icon, a proposition or scheme for peace: the deacon's litany at the beginning of the Greek liturgy—from its opening petitions for peace.—n.pl. Iren′ics, irenical theology:—opp. to Polemics. [See Eirenicon.]

Iricism. See Irish.

Irideæ, ī-rid′e-ē, n.pl. a natural order of endogenous plants, with fleshy root-stocks and showy flowers.—Also Iridā′ceæ. [Gr. iris, a rainbow.]

Iridium, ī-rid′i-um, n. the most infusible, and one of the heaviest, of the metals, found associated with the ore of platinum, so called from the iridescence of some of its solutions.—n. Iridos′mium, a native compound of iridium and osmium, used for pointing gold pens. [Gr. iris, iridos, the rainbow.]

Iris, ī′ris, n. the rainbow: an appearance resembling the rainbow: the contractile curtain perforated by the pupil, and forming the coloured part of the eye (also I′rid): the fleur-de-lis, or flagflower:—pl. I′rises.—adjs. I′ridal, Irid′ian, exhibiting the colours of the iris or rainbow: prismatic.—ns. Irides′cence, Iridisā′tion.—adjs. Irides′cent, coloured like the iris or rainbow; I′ridine, iridescent.—v.t. Ir′idise.—adjs. I′risāted, rainbow-coloured; Ir′ised, showing colours like the rainbow.—ns. Irī′tis, Iridī′tis, inflammation of the iris of the eye. [L. iris, iridis—Gr. iris, iridos, the rainbow.]

Iriscope, ī′ri-skōp, n. an instrument for exhibiting the prismatic colours. [Gr. iris, the rainbow, skopein, to see.]

Irish, ī′rish, adj. relating to or produced in Ireland.—n. language of the Irish, a form of Celtic: (pl.) the natives or inhabitants of Ireland.—ns. I′ricism, I′rishism, a phrase or idiom peculiar to the Irish.—n.pl. I′rishry, the people of Ireland.—Irish moss, carrageen; Irish stew, a palatable dish of mutton, onions, and potatoes, seasoned, and stewed in water mixed with flour.

Irk, ėrk, v.t. to weary: to trouble: to distress (now used only impersonally).—adj. Irk′some, causing uneasiness: tedious: unpleasant.—adv. Irk′somely.—n. Irk′someness. [M. E. irken—Scand., Sw. yrka, to urge; prob. cog. with L. urgēre.]