Ammonite
//ˈæ.məˌnaɪt// adj, name, noun
adj, name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any of an extinct group of cephalopods of the subclass Ammonoidea; a fossil shell of such an animal.
"Ammonites floated through the world's shallow oceans for more than three hundred million years, and their fossilized shells turn up all around the world."
- 2 An explosive prepared from a mixture of TNT and ammonium nitrate; a form of amatol, popular in Eastern Europe and China. uncountable
- 3 A native or inhabitant of Ammon.
- 4 one of the coiled chambered fossil shells of extinct mollusks wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Of or pertaining to the Ammonites. not-comparable
Proper Noun
- 1 The extinct Canaanite language of the Ammonite people who used to live in modern-day northwest Jordan, and after whom its capital Amman is named. Extinct since 5th century BCE.
Example
More examples"Ammonites floated through the world's shallow oceans for more than three hundred million years, and their fossilized shells turn up all around the world."
Etymology
Etymology 1
From French ammonite, from Latin Ammōnis (cornū) (“horn of Ammon”), as it was called by Pliny the Elder in reference to coiling ram horns used to symbolise the Egyptian god Amun. Equivalent to Ammon + -ite.
Etymology 2
From ammonium nitrate.
Etymology 3
From Ammon + -ite.
Related phrases
More for "ammonite"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.