rayon
/ˈɹeɪɒn/ noun, proper noun
Forms rayons
- noun A manufactured regenerated cellulosic fiber.
- noun (obsolete, rare) A ray or beam of light.
- noun A circular area whose extent is measured by the length of the radius of the circle which bounds it.
- proper noun A surname from Spanish.
Synonyms
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.
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [F.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “rayon”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details