Rayon is a smooth cloth made in factories, not from sheep or silkworms but from plant fibre — often wood pulp — turned into shiny thread. It can look a bit like silk, which is why older speakers called it artificial silk. It is used for dresses, blouses, and linings. It feels cool and sleek, it creases, and it is not as tough as some later man-made fibres when it is wet. The name was chosen by American shop people. It probably comes from French rayon, a ray of light, because the cloth shines; the Oxford dictionary says it may instead be a blend of ray and cotton. Either way, the name is about the gleam. The cloth itself does not mean sunlight.