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• Muscovite
  Muscovite

  noun

  a native or inhabitant of Moscow.
• muscovite
  muscovite

  noun

  a pale brown, or green, or colourless mineral of the mica group, found in plutonic rocks such as granite and in sedimentary rocks. It is used in the manufacture of lubricants, insulators, paints, and Christmas "snow". Composition: potassium aluminium silicate. Formula: KAl 2 (AlSi 3 )O 10 (OH) 2 . Crystal structure: monoclinic See also mica

Muscovite

American  

[muhs-kuh-vahyt] / ˈmʌs kəˌvaɪt /

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Moscow.

2. a native or inhabitant of the Grand Duchy of Muscovy.

3. Also called white mica.  (lowercase) common light-colored mica, essentially KAl 3 Si 3 O 1 0 (OH) 2 , used as an electrical insulator.

4. Archaic. a Russian.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Moscow, Muscovy, or the Muscovites.

Muscovite ¹ British  

/ ˈmʌskəˌvaɪt /

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Moscow

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adjective

1. an archaic word for Russian

muscovite ² British  

/ ˈmʌskəˌvaɪt /

noun

1. a pale brown, or green, or colourless mineral of the mica group, found in plutonic rocks such as granite and in sedimentary rocks. It is used in the manufacture of lubricants, insulators, paints, and Christmas "snow". Composition: potassium aluminium silicate. Formula: KAl 2 (AlSi 3 )O 10 (OH) 2 . Crystal structure: monoclinic See also mica

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muscovite Scientific  

/ mŭs′kə-vīt′ /

1. A usually colorless to yellow or pale-gray mica. Muscovite is a monoclinic mineral and is found in igneous rocks, such as granites and pegmatites, metamorphic rocks, such as schists and gneisses, and in many sedimentary rocks. Chemical formula: KAl ₂ (AlSi ₃ )O ₁₀ (OH) ₂ .

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Etymology

Origin of Muscovite

First recorded in 1545–55; Muscov(y) + -ite ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Muscovite muscovite

"In late December, we received a message from my daughter's homeroom teacher telling us that WhatsApp no longer worked at all," said one Muscovite, who refused to give her name.

From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026

Anastasia, a Muscovite who sought an abortion in 2020, said it “wasn’t very pleasant” when a doctor urged her to change her mind.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 26, 2023

But after helping them achieve victory, their Muscovite allies sought to dominate them, leading to another Ukrainian Cossack rebellion in 1708 that soon allied with Sweden.

From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2023

A Muscovite who gave only his first name of Khachik called the situation “scary.”

From Washington Times ● Jun. 24, 2023

“Up the mountain they have an observatory belonging to the Imperial Muscovite Academy. They’d be able to tell you. I know he went up there more than once.”

From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman

The “green” part of the name is derived from green minerals like chlorite, serpentine, and epidote, and the “schist” part is applied due to the presence of platy minerals such as muscovite.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2017

To give an example of how large these crystals can get, transparent cleavage sheets of pegmatitic muscovite mica were used as windows during the Middle Ages.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2017

Chlorite, muscovite, biotite, garnet, and staurolite are index minerals representing a respective sequence of low-to-high grade rock.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2017

Why is biotite called a ferromagnesian mineral, while muscovite is not?

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015

Bournonite; apatite on muscovite; natural zircon in a spray of colors; dozens more minerals he cannot name.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr