Rayon
name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A manufactured regenerated cellulosic fiber. countable, uncountable
- 2 A ray or beam of light. obsolete, rare
"Nor brick, nor marble was the wall in view, But ſhining Chriſtall, which from top to baſe Out of her womb a thouſand rayons threw, […]"
- 3 Alternative spelling of raion. alt-of, alternative
- 4 a synthetic silklike fabric wordnet
- 5 A circular area whose extent is measured by the length of the radius of the circle which bounds it.
"Within a rayon of a certain number of miles."
- 1 A surname from Spanish.
Example
More examples"The expectation of a showcase wedding featuring a traditional white dress with all the expensive trimmings gained ground after World War II, prompted in part by the availability of new inexpensive fabrics like nylon and rayon — developed during the war to make parachutes — that could be used to make wedding gowns at a far lower cost than satin and silk."
Etymology
Name chosen by the National Retail Dry Goods Association of America, probably from French rayon (“a beam of light, ray”) and so called because it is shiny; however, the Oxford English Dictionary states that it is apparently a blend of ray + cotton.
From Middle French rayon [1539], from Old French rai (whence English ray), from Latin rādius (whence English radius).
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Anglicization of Spanish Rayón.
More for "rayon"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.