iridescent

UK/ˌɪɹ.ɪˈdɛs.ənt/US/ˌɪɹ.ɪˈdɛs.ənt/

adjectiveC1Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #14,462 of 15,258leans written

Iridescent means showing shifting rainbow colours as it moves. An iridescent shell, iridescent feathers, iridescent in the light.

The colour is not pigment at all but light interfering with itself in microscopic layers, which is why it changes with the angle. A peacock's feathers and a soap bubble work by exactly the same trick.

Definitions of iridescent

1adjectiveiridescentShowing shifting rainbow colours as it moves.C1
“The beetle's iridescent wings flashed green, blue and purple in the sunlight.”

iridescent is a quality.

Where it comes from

Coined around 1800 from Iris, the Greek goddess of the rainbow, plus -escent.

Coined around 1800, from iris, iridis + -escent.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Colours & Patterns

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iridescent in the wild

Adults often have a bluish iridescent appearance on their head, this feature being more pronounced on males.
Common grackle
The term is now used to describe the type of iridescent glass Tiffany produced there.
Favrile glass
Many species are iridescent or brilliantly metallic blue or green in appearance.
Eumolpinae
Feather wear and exposure to the sun can produce changes in the apparent color of iridescent gorget feathers.
Gorget (bird)
For example, peacock tail feathers are pigmented brown, but their microscopic structure makes them also reflect blue, turquoise, and green light, and they are often iridescent.
Structural coloration

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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