Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Iridescent |
IridescentAdjective1. Varying in color when seen in different lights or from different angles; "changeable taffeta"; "chatoyant (or shot) silk"; "a dragonfly hovered, vibrating and iridescent". 2. Having a play of lustrous rainbow-like colors; "an iridescent oil slick"; "nacreous (or pearlescent) clouds looking like mother-of-pearl"; "a milky opalescent (or opaline) luster". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "iridescent" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1550. (references) |
Etymology: Iridescent \Ir`i*des"cent\, adjective. [Latin expression iris, iridis, the rainbow: compare to the French expression iridescent.]. (references) |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Iridescence is an optical phenomenon characterized in the Oxford English Dictionary as the property of things that "[glitter] or [flash] with colours which change according to the position from which they are viewed", such as soap bubbles and butterfly wings.The word is derived in part from the Greek word ιρισ (transliterated as iris, meaning stem, whose plural is ιριδη&sigma, transliterated as irides). In Greek mythology, Iris is the personification of the rainbow, who acted as a messenger of the gods
See also Tindall effect.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Iridescence."
Synonyms: IridescentSynonyms: changeable (adj), chatoyant (adj), nacreous (adj), opalescent (adj), opaline (adj), pearlescent (adj), shot (adj). (additional references) |
Crosswords: Iridescent |
| English words defined with "iridescent": beroe, bluebottle ♦ Calliphora vicina, Cestum veneris, Cestus, crow blackbird ♦ darning needle, devil's darning needle, dragonfly ♦ golden mole, grackle ♦ hummingbird ♦ iridesce, Iridiated, Iridize, Irisated, Irised ♦ jacamar ♦ mosquito hawk, mother-of-pearl ♦ nacre, nacreous ♦ opalescent, opaline ♦ Pavonine, peacock, pearlescent, Peristerite, play ♦ sewing needle, shimmer, shrew mole, skeeter hawk, snake doctor, snake feeder, soap bubble, Squeteague ♦ Tapetum ♦ Venus's girdle. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "iridescent": bloom of oil ♦ Carborundu ♦ gem pearl ♦ Iridovirus ♦ lynx eye ♦ Mother of Pearl ♦ peacock coal, petroleum bloom. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "iridescent": iridescence. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Iridescent" is also a word in the following language with English translations in parentheses. French (iridescence, iridescent). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Lyrics | Iridescent socks with the same color shirt (Keeping The Faith; performing artist: Billy Joel) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title |
Books | |
High Tech |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Iridescent clouds surround the sun. Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth. |  | Iridescent clouds looking north from Cape Evans. In: "Scott's Last Expedition", 1913. Dodd, Mead, and Company, New York. P. 257. Vol. I. Library Call Number G850 1910 .S35 1913. Credit: Treasures of the Library. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
 |
| "Iridescent grass" by Tammy Sharp Commentary: "Pasture of iridescent grass, late afternoon near Loco, Oklahoma." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. |
| "Iridescent" is generally used as an adjective (general or positive) -- approximately 96.77% of the time. "Iridescent" is used about 62 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 96.77% | 60 | 43,597 |
| Noun (proper) | 3.23% | 2 | 245,945 |
| Total | 100.00% | 62 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "iridescent": changeable chatoyant iridescent shot ♦ make iridescent. Additional references. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "iridescent"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | i ylbertë (rainbow). (various references) | |
Arabic | متقزح اللون. (various references) | |
Chinese | 呈虹彩. (various references) | |
Czech | hrající duhovými barvami. (various references) | |
Danish | Iriserende. (various references) | |
Dutch | Iridiscent. (various references) | |
Farsi | قوس قزحی , رنگین کمانی . (various references) | |
Finnish | Helmiäinen (mother-of-pearl). (various references) | |
French | iridescent (iridescence). (various references) | |
German | schillernd (dazzling, enigmatic, fluorescent, iridescently, opalescent, shimmering), irisierend (weathered). (various references) | |
Greek | Ιριδίζουσα, ιριδύων. (various references) | |
Hungarian | irizáló, szivárványszínekben játszó. (various references) | |
Italian | iridescente (opalescent). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 玉虫色 (equivocal). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | たまむしいろ (equivocal). (various references) | |
Manx | daaghyn y ghoal-twoaie (iridescence, Iris). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | iridescentay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | iridescente (pavonine). (various references) | |
Romanian | irizat (irisated). (various references) | |
Russian | радужный (opalescent, pavonine, rainbow, rose colored, rose coloured, rosy). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | koji se preliva u duginim bojama. (various references) | |
Spanish | iridiscente. (various references) | |
Swedish | Iridiscerande, skiftande i regnbågens färger. (various references) | |
Thai | มีสีสันเหมือนสีรุ้ง. (various references) | |
Turkish | yanardöner (opalescent, shimmering, shot), oynadıkça renk değiştiren. (various references) | |
Ukrainian | райдужний (bright, rainbow), переливчастий (changeable, chatoyant, rainbow, shot). (various references) | |
Vietnamese | phát ngũ sắc; óng ánh nhiều màu. (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "iridescent": iridescently. (additional references) | |
Words ending with "iridescent": viridescent. (additional references) | |
| |
"Iridescent" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: inidescent, iradescent, iredescent, iridesce, iridiscent, Irimescu, irradescent, irredescent, irridescant, irridescent, irridiscent, viridescent. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "iridescent" (pronounced i'rude"sunt) |
| 6 | -d e" s u n t | incandescent. |
| 5 | -e" s u n t | antidepressant, adolescent, convalescent, Crescent, depressant, effervescent, evanescent, fluorescent, incessant, luminescent, obsolescent, preadolescent, quiescent, suppressant, tumescent. |
| 4 | -s u n t | absent, adjacent, complacent, complaisant, conversant, decent, dispersant, docent, indecent, innocent, lucent, magnificent, nascent, recent, reminiscent, reticent, translucent. |
| 3 | -u n t | agent, aggrandizement, agreement, ailment, alignment, allotment, amazement, ambient, ambivalent, amendment, amusement, ancient, announcement, annulment, antecedent, antigovernment, antioxidant, apartment, apparent, appeasement, applicant, appointment, apportionment, ardent, argent, argument, armament, arraignment, arrangement, arrant, arrogant, absorbent, abstinent, abundant, accelerant, accident, accompaniment, accomplishment, abandonment, abatement, aberrant, abhorrent, abortifacient, accountant, accouterment, achievement, acknowledgement, acknowledgment, adamant, adherent, adjournment, adjustment, adjutant, adornment, advancement, advertisement, advisement, afferent, affiant, affluent, ascendant, aspirant, assailant, assessment, assignment, assistant, assortment, astonishment, astringent, atonement, attachment, attainment, attendant, banishment, basement, battlement, belligerent, bemusement, beneficent, benevolent, bereavement, betterment, bewilderment, blandishment, blatant, bombardment, brilliant, buoyant, celebrant, claimant, clairvoyant, Clement, client, coefficient, cogent, cognizant, coherent, coincident, combatant, commandment, commencement, commitment, compartment, competent, complainant, complement, compliant, component, comportment, concealment, concomitant, concurrent, condiment, confident, confinement, confluent, consequent, consignment, consistent, consonant, constant, constituent, consultant, containment, contaminant, contentment, contestant, continent, contingent, convenient, convent, convergent, coolant, copayment, corespondent, cormorant, correspondent, Courant, covenant, crosscurrent, current, curtailment, ignorant, immanent, immigrant, imminent, impairment, impatient, impeachment, impediment, impertinent, implement, important, impotent, impoundment, impoverishment, impressment, imprisonment, improvement, imprudent, inadvertent, debarment, debasement, decadent, decedent, declarant, decongestant, defendant, deferment, defiant, deficient, defoliant, delinquent, deodorant, department, dependent, deployment, deportment, derailment, descendant, descendent, despondent, detachment, detergent, determent, determinant, deterrent, detriment, development, deviant, different, diligent, diminishment, disagreement, disappointment, disarmament, disbarment, disbursement, discernment, discordant, discouragement, disenchantment, disenfranchisement, disengagement, disestablishment, disgruntlement, disillusionment, disinfectant, disinvestment, dismantlement, dismemberment, disobedient, displacement, dissident, dissonant, distant, divalent, divergent, divestment, dominant, dormant, easement, ebullient, efferent, efficient, effluent, elegant, element, elephant, eloquent, embankment, embarrassment, embayment, embellishment, embezzlement, embodiment, emergent, emigrant, eminent, emplacement, employment, empowerment, enactment, encampment, enchantment, encirclement, encouragement, encroachment, endangerment, endearment, endorsement, endowment, enforcement, engagement, enhancement, enjoyment, enlargement, enlightenment, enlistment, enrichment, enrollment, enslavement, entanglement, entertainment, enticement, entitlement, entombment, entrant, entrapment, entrenchment, environment, equipment, equivalent, errant, escapement, escarpment, esculent, establishment, estrangement, evident, excellent, excitement, excrement, exigent, existent, exorbitant, expectant, expectorant, expedient, experiment, exponent, extant, extinguishment, extravagant, exuberant, exultant, Fabricant, fervent, figment, filament, flagrant, flamboyant, flatulent, flippant, fluent, formant, fragment, fragrant, fraudulent, frequent, fulfillment, gallant, garment, garnishment, giant, government, grandiloquent, grandparent, harassment, hesitant, hydrant, incident, incipient, incitement, inclement, incoherent, incompetent, inconsistent, incontinent, inconvenient, increment, incumbent, independent, indictment, indifferent, indigent, indignant, indolent, inducement, indulgent, inefficient, infant, informant, infotainment, infrequent, infringement, ingredient, inhabitant, inhalant, inherent, inpatient, insignificant, insistent, insolent, insolvent, installment, instant, instrument, insufficient, insurgent, integument, intelligent, intercurrent, interdependent, intermittent, internment, intersegment, intolerant, intransigent, invariant, investment, involvement, irrelevant, irreverent, irritant, itinerant, jubilant, judgement, judgment, latent, leant, lenient, lieutenant, ligament, litigant, lubricant, luxuriant, malevolent, malignant, maltreatment, management, measurement, merchant, micromanagement, migrant, militant, miscreant, misgovernment, misjudgment, mismanagement, misstatement, mistreatment, moment, monovalent, monument, mordant, movement, mutant, negligent, noncombatant, nonexistent, nongovernment, nonmanagement, nonpayment, nonresident, nonviolent, nourishment, nutrient, obedient, observant, occupant, odorant, ointment, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, operant, opponent, opulent, ornament, orpiment, outpatient, outplacement, overconfident, overpayment, overstatement, oxidant, pageant, parchment, parent, parliament, participant, patent, patient, pavement, payment, peasant, penchant, pendant, penitent, pennant, percipient, permanent, persistent, pertinent, petulant, pheasant, pigment, piquant, placement, pleasant, pliant, poignant, pollutant, postponement, postretirement, potent, precedent, predicament, predominant, preeminent, pregnant, prejudgment, prepayment, prescient, present, presentment, prevalent, procurement, proficient, prominent, pronouncement, propellant, proponent, protestant, provident, prudent, prurient, pungent, punishment, pursuant, puzzlement, quadrant, quotient, radiant, rampant, readjustment, reagent, realignment, reappointment, reapportionment, rearmament, rearrangement, reassessment, reassignment, recalcitrant, recipient, recombinant, recruitment, recurrent, redeployment, redevelopment, redundant, reemployment, reenactment, refinement, refreshment, refrigerant, refurbishment, Regent, regiment, registrant, reimbursement, reinforcement, reinstatement, reinvestment, relevant, reliant, reluctant, remnant, repayment, repellent, repentant, replacement, replenishment, repugnant, requirement, resentment, resettlement, resident, resilient, resistant, resonant, resplendent, respondent, restatement, resultant, resurgent, retardant, retirement, retrenchment, reverent, rodent, rudiment, ruminant, sacrament, salient, seafront, sealant, sediment, segment, semipermanent, sentiment, Sequent, sergeant, serpent, servant, settlement, shipment, significant, silent, solvent, somnolent, stagnant, statement, stimulant, strident, stringent, student, subcontinent, subsequent, subservient, succulent, sufficient, supergiant, superintendent, supplement, supplicant, surfactant, talent, tangent, temperament, tenant, tenement, testament, tetravalent, tolerant, torrent, tournament, transcendent, transient, transparent, treatment, trenchant, trident, triumphant, truant, truculent, turbulent, tyrant, undercurrent, underdevelopment, underemployment, undergarment, underpayment, understatement, unemployment, unimportant, unpleasant, unrepentant, urgent, vacant, vagrant, valiant, variant, vehement, verdant, vibrant, vigilant, violent, virulent, warrant, wonderment. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
Direct Anagrams: indiscreet. | |
| Words within the letters "c-d-e-e-i-i-n-r-s-t" | |
-1 letter: indictees, indicters, reincited, reincites, reindicts, stridence. | |
-2 letters: citrines, crinites, desertic, dieretic, discreet, discrete, disinter, enticers, inciters, indictee, indicter, indirect, inditers, inserted, nerdiest, niceties, niteries, nitrides, reincite, reindict, resident, secretin, siderite, sintered, trendies. | |
-3 letters: centers, centred, centres, cerites, cinders, cistern, citrine, citrins, credent, credits, crested, cretins, crinite, deceits, decerns, decries, deicers, deistic, deities, deniers. | |
| Words containing the letters "c-d-e-e-i-i-n-r-s-t" | |
+1 letter: dentifrices, stridencies, viridescent. | |
+2 letters: derelictions, incertitudes, indirectness, indiscreetly, iridescently, redirections, rodenticides. | |
+3 letters: containerised, coresidential, credentialism, densitometric, depreciations, determinacies, deterministic, directionless, disrespecting, inconsiderate, incredulities, predilections, presanctified, rededications, redescription, reindictments, sectarianized, steroidogenic, tredecillions. | |
+4 letters: credentialisms, decrepitations, disinheritance, dryopithecines, endocarditises, inadvertencies, indestructible, indirectnesses, indiscreetness, intermediacies, nondescriptive, pancreatitides, redescriptions, trinucleotides. | |
+5 letters: descriptiveness, desertification, disinheritances, inconsiderately, incredibilities, indeterminacies, indeterministic, overmedications, reconsideration, ribonucleotides, underactivities. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Photo Album 7. Images: Digital Art 8. Usage Frequency | 9. Expressions 10. Expressions: Internet 11. Translations: Modern 12. Derivations | 13. Rhymes 14. Anagrams 15. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
