A group of silicate minerals that split into thin, flexible sheets and are often transparent or translucent. Mica is used in electronics, cosmetics, and as insulation.
From Latin mica meaning 'crumb' or 'grain,' referring to its tendency to flake into small pieces. However, the mineral was extensively mined and traded from India, where it was known in Hindi as अभ्रक (abhrak) from Sanskrit अभ्र (abhra) meaning 'cloud' or 'mica.' The Latin name was applied to the Indian mineral when it became known in Europe.
Ancient Indians called mica 'abhrak' meaning 'cloud' because its transparent sheets looked like crystallized clouds, and they used it for windows in palaces over 2,000 years before glass became common! India still produces about 60% of the world's mica, continuing a mining tradition that's older than the Roman Empire.
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