Etymologically
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mica

Etymology and origin of the English word mica

History
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin mica
English mica

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈmaɪ.kə/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from New Latin mica,[2][3][4] a special use of Latin mīca “grain, crumb, morsel”,[5][2][3][4][6] perhaps influenced by micāre “to flash, glitter”.[5][2][3][6] The Latin word is sometimes connected with Greek mikrós “small” (see micro-),[2][3][4] but de Vaan finds a derivation from the root of micāre, “a glittering crystalline particle”, formally more attractive.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A small plate of talc, selenite or other glistening crystalline substance found in rock (1706).[7][2][3][6]

Semantic evolution

The use in mineralogy was probably at first contextual, “a particle” of some substance.[6] The modern sense, any of a group of silicate minerals that split into thin, tough, often transparent sheets, dates from 1778 in the OED (1777 in Merriam-Webster).[7][4] Older native names for it were glimmer and cat-silver.[3] Micaceous, “containing mica”, dates from 1748.[3]

Timeline

  • 1706 – a glistening plate in rock.[7][2]
  • 1748 – micaceous.[3]
  • 1777 – the mineral group (Merriam-Webster).[4]
  • 1778 – the mineral group (OED).[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Any of a group of chemically related aluminium silicate minerals, common in igneous and metamorphic rocks, that split into thin, flexible, often transparent sheets, used in electrical insulation; isinglass.

Word family

  • micaceous
  • micalike
  • micro-
  • isinglass

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  6. ^ a b c d Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Mica.” Etymologically, 10 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/mica. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·