Muscovite
adj, noun ·3 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 An inhabitant or native of Muscovy or Moscow.
- 2 A pale brown mineral of the mica group, being a basic potassium aluminosilicate with the chemical formula KAl₂(Si₃Al)O₁₀(OH,F)₂; used as an electrical insulator etc. countable, uncountable
"Do you enjoy the amber glow seen through the isinglass window of a wood stove? […] Muscovite (colorless, white, or pale red or green) mica is also common[…]; it was named for Moskva (Moscow), where much of Europe's mica was mined. Isinglass, mentioned above, consists of thin, transparent sheets of muscovite."
- 3 a resident of Moscow wordnet
- 4 A Russian. archaic, broadly
- 5 a colorless or pale brown mica with potassium wordnet
- 1 Of or relating to Muscovy or Moscow, or the people of these places. not-comparable
- 2 Russian. not-comparable
- 1 of or relating to the residents of Moscow wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"Do you enjoy the amber glow seen through the isinglass window of a wood stove? […] Muscovite (colorless, white, or pale red or green) mica is also common[…]; it was named for Moskva (Moscow), where much of Europe's mica was mined. Isinglass, mentioned above, consists of thin, transparent sheets of muscovite."
Etymology
1535. From Latin Moscovita (“resident of Moscow or Muscovy, Russian”), also Muscovita, Moschovita, from Moscovia or Muscovia (“Muscovy”) + -ita.
In 1850 from Muscovy glass + -ite, from the province Muscovy in Russia. Named by James Dwight Dana.
Related phrases
More for "muscovite"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.