ammonite

1
[ am-uh-nahyt ]
/ ˈæm əˌnaɪt /

noun

the coiled, chambered fossil shell of an ammonoid.

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Origin of ammonite

1
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

Definition 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

2
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

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. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for ammonite

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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.