'Muscovite' originates from English 'Muscovy' (the historical Grand Duchy/state centered on Moscow), ultimately from Russian 'Moskva' (Москва); the suffix '-ite' comes from Greek '-ites' via Latin/French, meaning 'belonging to' or 'native of'.

'Muscovite' entered English via French and Latin forms (e.g. French 'Moscovite', Latinized forms like 'Moscovita') in the Early Modern period to mean an inhabitant of Muscovy; later the mineral name 'muscovite' was adopted in mineralogy (from the association of certain micas with Russian sources such as 'Muscovy glass').

Initially it specifically denoted an inhabitant of the historical state of Muscovy; over time it broadened to mean a resident or characteristic of the modern city of Moscow and was later extended in mineralogy to name a mica associated with Russia.