viscose

American  

[vis-kohs] / ˈvɪs koʊs /

noun

1. a viscous solution prepared by treating cellulose with caustic soda and carbon bisulfide: used in manufacturing regenerated cellulose fibers, sheets, or tubes, as rayon or cellophane.

2. viscose rayon.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or made from viscose.

2. viscous.

viscose British  

/ ˈvɪskəʊs /

noun

1. 1. a viscous orange-brown solution obtained by dissolving cellulose in sodium hydroxide and carbon disulphide. It can be converted back to cellulose by an acid, as in the manufacture of rayon and cellophane

   2. ( as modifier )

      viscose rayon

2. rayon made from this material

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adjective

1. another word for viscous

Etymology

Origin of viscose

1350–1400 viscose for def. 4; 1895–1900 viscose for def. 1; viscose ( in def. 4 ) < Late Latin viscōsus viscous ( -ose ¹ ); viscose ( in def. 1 ) < Latin visc ( um ) birdlime + -ose ²

Example Sentences

Synthetic materials such as polyester and viscose are common across fast-fashion and luxury, since they’re cheaper to buy and can be easier to work with than natural fibers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

Venezuela’s oil, by contrast, is viscose, high-sulfur, crude — closer to the grades many Gulf Coast refiners were originally designed to handle.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 16, 2026

In response, India's trade ministry has set up a committee to track the influx of cheap Chinese goods, with its quasi-judicial arm probing imports across sectors, including viscose yarn.

From BBC • May 5, 2025

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

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2024

The flush suddenly deepened; he was thinking of Lenina, of an angel in bottle-green viscose, lustrous with youth and skin food, plump, benevolently smiling.

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley