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ammonia - 8 dictionary results

am⋅mo⋅nia

  [uh-mohn-yuh, uh-moh-nee-uh]
Use ammonia in a Sentence
–noun Chemistry.
1. a colorless, pungent, suffocating, highly water-soluble, gaseous compound, NH3, usually produced by the direct combination of nitrogen and hydrogen gases: used chiefly for refrigeration and in the manufacture of commercial chemicals and laboratory reagents.
2. Also called ammonia solution, ammonia water, aqua ammoniae, aqua ammonia, aqueous ammonia. this gas dissolved in water; ammonium hydroxide.
Origin:
1790–1800; < NL, so called as being obtained from sal ammoniac. See ammoniac
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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am·mo·nia   (ə-mōn'yə)   
n.  
  1. A colorless, pungent gas, NH3, extensively used to manufacture fertilizers and a wide variety of nitrogen-containing organic and inorganic chemicals.
  2. See ammonium hydroxide.

[New Latin, from Latin (sāl) ammōniacus, (salt) of Amen, from Greek Ammōniakos, from Ammōn, Amen (from its having been obtained from a region near the temple of Amen, in Libya).]
ammonium hydroxide  
n.  A colorless, basic, aqueous solution of ammonia, NH4OH, used as a household cleanser and in the manufacture of a wide variety of products, including textiles, rayon, rubber, fertilizer, and plastic. Also called ammonia, ammonia water.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Ammonia

Am*mo"ni*a\, n. [From sal ammoniac, which was first obtaining near the temple of Jupiter Ammon, by burning camel's dung. See Ammoniac.] (Chem.) A gaseous compound of hydrogen and nitrogen, NH3, with a pungent smell and taste: -- often called volatile alkali, and spirits of hartshorn.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : ammonia
Spanish: amoniaco, amoníaco,
German: das Ammoniak,
Japanese: 気体アンモニア
More Translations »

ammonia 
1799, coined 1782 by Swedish chemist Torbern Bergman for gas obtained from sal ammoniac, salt deposits containing ammonium chloride found near temple of Jupiter Ammon (from Egyptian God Amun) in Libya, from Gk. ammoniakon "belonging to Ammon." The shrine was already ancient in Augustus' day, and the salts were prepared "from the sands where the camels waited while their masters prayed for good omens" [Shipley]. There also was a gum form of sal ammoniac, from a wild plant that grew near the shrine, and across North Africa and Asia. A less likely theory traces the name to Gk. Armeniakon "Armenian," since the substance also was found in Armenia. Also known as Spirit of Hartshorn and Volatile or Animal Alkali.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: am·mo·nia
Pronunciation: &-'mO-ny&
Function: noun
1 : a pungent colorless gaseous alkaline compound of nitrogen andhydrogen NH3 that is very soluble in water and can easily be condensed to a liquid by cold and pressure
2 : AMMONIA WATER
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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ammonia am·mo·nia (ə-mōn'yə)
n.
A colorless, pungent gas used to manufacture a wide variety of nitrogen-containing organic and inorganic chemicals.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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ammonia   (ə-mōn'yə)  Pronunciation Key 
A colorless alkaline gas that is lighter than air and has a strongly pungent odor. It is used as a fertilizer and refrigerant, in medicine, and in making dyes, textiles, plastics, and explosives. Chemical formula: NH3.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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