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

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

There are already viscose variants that are to some extent produced using old cotton fibres.

From Science Daily • Mar. 6, 2024

He sometimes chooses wool or silk, but he especially likes a linen-and-viscose blend: “It’s got that natural nubbiness of a linen, but then the viscose gives it a bit more of a refined sheen.”

From Seattle Times • Nov. 8, 2023

The zippers on Lenina’s spare pair of viscose velveteen shorts were at first a puzzle, then solved, a delight.

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley