ammonite

[ am-uh-nahyt ]

/ ˈæm əˌnaɪt /

noun

the coiled, chambered fossil shell of an ammonoid.

Nearby words

ammonic, ammonification, ammonify, ammonio-, ammonioferric oxalate, ammonite, ammonites, ammonitic, ammonium, ammonium acetate, ammonium bicarbonate

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

Related forms

am·mo·nit·ic

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

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

Definition for ammonite (2 of 3)

ammonite

[ 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

Definition 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

Related forms

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

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

Examples from the Web for ammonite

A rumor was started that the Ammonite's partisans might set fire to the building and wreak their vengeance.
A King of Tyre|James M. Ludlow
This command was fulfilled, and Uriah fell, struck dead by an Ammonite arrow.
History of the Jews, Vol. I (of 6)|Heinrich Graetz
Tobias also the Ammonite who was by him said: Let them build: if a fox go up, he will leap over their stone wall.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
What reason could she have to believe the Ammonite was a shell?
Madam How and Lady Why|Charles Kingsley

Ammonite: Favier type; ammonium nitrate 75, dinitronaphthalene or other nitro-body, salt 20.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia|Various

British Dictionary definitions for ammonite (1 of 2)

ammonite

/ (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

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)

ammonite

/ (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

Science 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.