He named iridium after Iris (Ἶρις), the Greek winged goddess of the rainbow and the messenger of the Olympian gods, because many of the salts he obtained were strongly colored.
Ông đặt tên iridium theo tên Iris (Ἶρις), the Greek winged goddess of the rainbow and the messenger of the Olympian gods, bởi vì nhiều muối mà ông thu được có nhiều màu.