rayon
pronunciation
How to pronounce rayon in British English:
UK [ˈreɪɒn]
How to pronounce rayon in American English:
US [ˈreɪɑn]
-
- Noun:
- a synthetic silklike fabric
Word Origin
- rayon (n.)
- 1924, chosen by National Retail Dry Goods Association of America, probably from French rayon "beam of light, ray," from rai (see ray (n.1)), which also was used in Middle English as a name for a type of cloth. So called because it is shiny. A more marketable alternative than the original patented name, artificial silk (1884), or the intervening attempt, Glos, which was "killed by ridicule" ["Draper's Record," June 14, 1924].
Example
- 1. In fact , the u.s. federal trade commission requires most bamboo-based textiles to be labeled as rayon .
- 2. The cotton , meanwhile , gives it its shape - if it was all rayon , it would be too slinky .
- 3. Iridium can also be found in crystals in computer memory devices , deep-water pipes , x-ray telescopes and the equipment that makes rayon fibers .
- 4. Clothing makers are blending more synthetic fabrics like rayon and designing jeans with fewer beads and other embellishments .
- 5. Many consumers also do not realize that almost all the smooth , soft " bamboo " towels , t-shirts , socks and other textiles available in the u.s. are produced through a chemical process akin to the one used to make rayon .