An adjustablediaphragm by which the diameter of an approximately circularopening may be controlled, as for regulating the aperture of a lens; it consists of a number of movable thin curved plates fastened at regular intervals around the inside of a ring, the positions of which are simultaneously adjusted by a single knob on the outside of the lens. It is used in cameras and microscopes.
Origin
Its action is reminiscent of the iris of the eye.
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