viscose

Word family

• viscous
  adjectiveC1
• viscosity
  nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Viscose is the clothing-label word for a cellulose-based fabric that hangs softly and often feels a little like silk. Rayon is the broader family name; in American English it is often the everyday term where British labels say viscose. Modal is a refined rayon that usually feels smoother and resists shrinking better. Lyocell is another cellulose fibre, often stronger and linked with a cleaner production process. Polyester is different again: it is fully synthetic, dries faster, and is usually less breathable. A summer blouse may be sold as viscose in one shop and rayon in another, but modal and lyocell suggest slightly different fibres, while polyester points to a clearly separate material family.

Common collocations

Etymology

Viscose was named in late nineteenth-century English from viscous, because the original cellulose solution used to make the fibre was thick and sticky. Viscous goes back to Latin viscum, meaning a sticky substance or birdlime. The name first referred to the manufacturing liquid, and later to the fibre and fabric produced from it.