rayon

American  

[rey-on] / ˈreɪ ɒn /

noun

1. a regenerated, semisynthetic textile filament made from cellulose, cotton linters, or wood chips by treating these with caustic soda and carbon disulfide and passing the resultant solution, viscose, through spinnerets.

2. fabric made of this filament.

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adjective

1. made of rayon.

rayon British  

/ ˈreɪɒn /

noun

1. any of a number of textile fibres made from wood pulp or other forms of cellulose

2. any fabric made from such a fibre

3. (modifier) consisting of or involving rayon

   a rayon shirt

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Other Word Forms

• half-rayon
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of rayon

First recorded in 1920–25; apparently based on ray ¹

Example Sentences

Rayon, viscose, all the leaps and bounds made in synthetics — don’t you believe in science?

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2024

Rayon is a synthetic fiber that is made with plant cellulose, including bamboo, but the FTC noted the process “requires the use of toxic chemicals and results in hazardous pollutants.”

From Seattle Times • Apr. 8, 2022

They pass a beach shop called Rayon Vert.

From New York Times • May 14, 2018

This may be in part a product of the film’s tortuous path to production—the first draft of the script was finished in 1992—but 20 years of rewrites failed to improve that wrongheaded attitude toward Rayon.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2018

Descending the eastern slopes of the ridge the British carried a second strong position, then attacked a fresh line—chiefly in Rayon Wood—in which were large shelters of reinforced concrete, each capable of holding a company.

From Ypres and the Battles of Ypres by Unknown