# Japanese iris

> English word · Noun · IPA / dʒæp.ənˌiːz ˈaɪ.rɪs/

## Definitions
1. A group of iris flower species native to or cultivated in East Asia, particularly in Japan, Korea, China, Russia, and Mongolia. Scientifically, the three primary species are Iris ensata, Iris laevigata, and Iris sanguinea.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Hokkien 日本 /Ji̍t-púnbor.
Malay Jepangbor.
Portuguese Japãobor.
▲
Malay Jepangbor.
Dutch Japanbor.
English Japan
Proto-Indo-European *-iskos
Proto-Germanic *-iskaz
Proto-West Germanic *-iskbor.
Late Latin -iscus
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Vulgar Latin -iscus
Latin -ēnsis
Old French -eisbor.
Middle English -eys
English -ese
English Japanese
Latin eira
Latin ira
Latin irisbor.
English iris
blend
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Latin Iriscalq.
Latin japonicacalq.
English Japanese iris
From Japanese + iris, due to them being discovered first by Western explorers in Japan.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/japanese-iris