ammonite

[ am-uh-nahyt ]

/ ˈæm əˌnaɪt /

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noun

the coiled, chambered fossil shell of an ammonoid.

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Origin of ammonite

1700–10; <New Latin Ammonites<Medieval Latin (cornū) Ammōn(is) (literally, horn of Ammon) + -ītes-ite¹; fossil so called from its resemblance to the horn of Jupiter Ammon

OTHER WORDS FROM ammonite

am·mo·nit·ic

[am-uh-nit-ik], /ˌæm əˈnɪt ɪk/, adjectiveam·mon·i·toid

[uh-mon-i-toid], /əˈmɒn ɪˌtɔɪd/, adjective

Words nearby ammonite

ammonic, ammonification, ammonify, ammonio-, ammonioferric oxalate, ammonite, Ammonites, ammonium, ammonium acetate, ammonium bicarbonate, ammonium bifluoride

Other definitions for ammonite (2 of 3)

ammonite²

[ am-uh-nahyt ]

/ ˈæm əˌnaɪt /

noun

a nitrogenous mixture consisting chiefly of dried animal fats, usually obtained from livestock carcasses, and used as a fertilizer.

Origin of ammonite

First recorded in 1600–10; ammo(nium) + nit(rat)e

Other definitions for ammonite (3 of 3)

Ammonite

[ am-uh-nahyt ]

/ ˈæm əˌnaɪt /

noun

an inhabitant of Ammon.

adjective

of or relating to the Ammonites.

Origin of Ammonite

First recorded in 1605–15; Ammon + -ite¹

OTHER WORDS FROM Ammonite

Am·mon·it·ish, adjectivepre-Am·mon·ite, adjective, noun

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

How to use ammonite in a sentence

Within tens of minutes after the asteroid impact, a seismic shockwave would have shaken the Tanis river and created a surge of water that hurled fish, ammonites, and other marine creatures ashore.
It was probably springtime when an asteroid did the dinosaurs in|Kate Baggaley|February 23, 2022|Popular-Science
The land north of the Arnon became Amorite; but the Ammonite frontier was too well defended to be broken through.
Early Israel and the Surrounding Nations|Archibald Sayce
Ammonite: Favier type; ammonium nitrate 75, dinitronaphthalene or other nitro-body, salt 20.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia|Various
Ramshorn, ramz′horn, n. a semicircular work of low profile in the ditch of a fortified place: an ammonite: a fossil cephalopod.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)|Various

It has been divided on the coast into four distinct zones, each characterised by its own particular species of ammonite.
Devonshire|Francis A. Knight
There was Mr. H. of the Linnean Society, whose waxed moustache curled round upon itself like an ammonite.
Alone|Norman Douglas

British Dictionary definitions for ammonite (1 of 2)

ammonite¹

/ (ˈæməˌnaɪt) /

noun

any extinct marine cephalopod mollusc of the order Ammonoidea, which were common in Mesozoic times and generally had a coiled partitioned shell. Their closest modern relative is the pearly nautilus

the shell of any of these animals, commonly occurring as a fossil

Derived forms of ammonite

ammonitic (ˌæməˈnɪtɪk), adjective

Word Origin for ammonite

C18: from New Latin Ammōnītēs, from Medieval Latin cornū Ammōnis, literally: horn of Ammon

British Dictionary definitions for ammonite (2 of 2)

ammonite²

/ (ˈæməˌnaɪt) /

noun

an explosive consisting mainly of ammonium nitrate with smaller amounts of other substances, such as TNT

a nitrogenous fertilizer made from animal wastes

Word Origin for ammonite

C20: from ammo (nium) + ni (tra) te

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

Scientific definitions for ammonite

ammonite

[ ăm′ə-nīt′ ]

Any of the ammonoids belonging to the order Ammonitida and living during the Jurassic and the Cretaceous Periods. Ammonites had a thick, very ornamental chambered shell with highly defined, wavy sutures between the chambers.