English
rayon
Rayon may come from French rayon ‘a beam of light, ray’.
- Frenchc. 1600–presentrayon‘a beam of light, ray’uncertain
- Englishtodaysame form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Frenchc. 1600–presentrayon‘a beam of light, ray’uncertain
- Englishtodaysame form
The story
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.
Every English word from French rayon
Another origin of rayon
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*neredʰ-‘extend forth, rise, outward’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErādius‘a spoke of a wheel’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400rai‘beam’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600rayon‘ray, beam’
- Englishtodaysame form
Today it means
noun A manufactured regenerated cellulosic fiber.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / French rayon / rayon