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ammoniac

[ uh-moh-nee-ak ]
/ əˈmoʊ niˌæk /
|

noun

Also am·mo·ni·a·cum [am-uh-nahy-uh-kuh m] /ˌæm əˈnaɪ ə kəm/. gum ammoniac.

adjective

ammoniacal.

Nearby words

  1. ammonia clock,
  2. ammonia liquor,
  3. ammonia solution,
  4. ammonia water,
  5. ammonia-lyase,
  6. ammoniacal,
  7. ammoniate,
  8. ammoniated,
  9. ammonic,
  10. ammonification

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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ammoniac

British Dictionary definitions for ammoniac

ammoniac

1
/ (əˈməʊnɪˌæk) /

adjective

a variant of ammoniacal

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
Medicine definitions for ammoniac

ammoniac

[ ə-mō′nē-ăk′ ]

n.

A strong-smelling gum resin from the stems of a plant of western Asia, formerly used in perfumery and in medicine as an expectorant and a stimulant.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.