ammoniac

[ uh-moh-nee-ak ]

/ əˈmoʊ niˌæk /

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noun

Also am·mo·ni·a·cum

[am-uh-nahy-uh-kuhm]. /ˌæm əˈnaɪ ə kəm/. gum ammoniac.

adjective

ammoniacal.

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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

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Origin of ammoniac

1375–1425; late Middle English armoniac, ammoniak<Latin ammōniacum<Greek ammōniakón (neuter of ammōniakós of Ammon; see -i-, -ac), applied to a salt and a gum resin prepared near the Shrine of Ammon in Libya

Words nearby ammoniac

Ammon, ammonal, ammonate, ammoni-, ammonia, ammoniac, ammoniacal, ammonia clock, ammonia liquor, ammoniate, ammonic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ammoniac in a sentence

For myself, I generally prefer the colour given by ammoniac salt; it is artistical and sufficient for any purpose.
Notes and Queries, Number 178, March 26, 1853|Various
Rub thoroughly with strong brine, or a solution of sal ammoniac dissolved in eight times its weight of water.
Domestic Animals|Richard L. Allen
It absorbs one-sixth more than its bulk of alkaline air, and with it forms the common sal ammoniac.
Heads of Lectures on a Course of Experimental Philosophy: Particularly Including Chemistry|Joseph Priestley
One measure of this air saturates two of alkaline air, and with it forms the vitriolic ammoniac.
Heads of Lectures on a Course of Experimental Philosophy: Particularly Including Chemistry|Joseph Priestley

Platina is precipitated from a solution in aqua regia by sal-ammoniac, as gold is by martial vitriol.
Heads of Lectures on a Course of Experimental Philosophy: Particularly Including Chemistry|Joseph Priestley

British Dictionary definitions for ammoniac (1 of 2)

ammoniac¹

/ (əˈməʊnɪˌæk) /

adjective

a variant of ammoniacal

British Dictionary definitions for ammoniac (2 of 2)

ammoniac²

/ (əˈməʊnɪˌæk) /

noun

a strong-smelling gum resin obtained from the stems of the N Asian umbelliferous plant Dorema ammoniacum and formerly used as an expectorant, stimulant, perfume, and in porcelain cementAlso called: gum ammoniac

Word Origin for ammoniac

C14: from Latin ammōniacum, from Greek ammōniakos belonging to Ammon (apparently the gum resin was extracted from plants found in Libya near the temple of Ammon)

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