Muscovite

[ muhs-kuh-vahyt ]

noun
  1. a native or inhabitant of Moscow.

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

  1. Also called white mica .(lowercase)Mineralogy. common light-colored mica, essentially KAl3Si3O10(OH)2, used as an electrical insulator.

  2. Archaic. a Russian.

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

Origin of Muscovite

1
First recorded in 1545–55; Muscov(y) + -ite1

Words Nearby Muscovite

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Muscovite in a sentence

  • As he doffed his Muscovite cap, locks of thick curly hair fell over his broad, massive forehead.

    Michael Strogoff | Jules Verne
  • Me I read them to you some day with a tremble of the voice and then you will surely fall in love with a Muscovite.

    Polly the Pagan | Isabel Anderson
  • He did not love this imperious cavalier; he was a Courtlander and holding a Muscovite's horse.

    Joan of the Sword Hand | S(amuel) R(utherford) Crockett

British Dictionary definitions for muscovite (1 of 2)

muscovite

/ (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

Origin of muscovite

1
C19: from the phrase Muscovy glass, an early name for mica

British Dictionary definitions for Muscovite (2 of 2)

Muscovite

/ (ˈmʌskəˌvaɪt) /


noun
  1. a native or inhabitant of Moscow

adjective
  1. an archaic word for Russian

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for muscovite

muscovite

[ mŭskə-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: KAl2(AlSi3)O10(OH)2.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.