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Where does the word "rayon" come from? It comes from Latin rai, and was adopted directly into English (1924).
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Where does the word "rayon" come from? It comes from Latin rai, and was adopted directly into English (1924).
Rayon’s story begins in Latin: rai meant “a ray, a beam of light.” A ray of light, the root behind a fabric named for its light-reflecting sheen. It reached English by 1924 as rayon. Coined as a trade name from ray, describing the fabric's lustrous sheen. Today, rayon means a semi-synthetic fiber made from regenerated cellulose.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient rai "a ray, a beam of light", a ray of light, the root behind a fabric named for its light-reflecting sheen.
- Stage 2 · English · 1924 rayon "a semi-synthetic fiber made from cellulose", coined as a trade name from ray, describing the fabric's lustrous sheen.