ammonite

1
[ am-uh-nahyt ]

noun
  1. the coiled, chambered fossil shell of an ammonoid.

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

Words Nearby ammonite

Other definitions for ammonite (2 of 3)

ammonite2
[ am-uh-nahyt ]

noun
  1. 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

Other definitions for Ammonite (3 of 3)

Ammonite
[ am-uh-nahyt ]

noun
  1. an inhabitant of Ammon.

adjective
  1. of or relating to the Ammonites.

Origin of Ammonite

3
First recorded in 1605–15; Ammon + -ite1

Other words from Ammonite

  • Am·mon·it·ish, adjective
  • pre-Am·mon·ite, adjective, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use ammonite in a sentence

  • 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
  1. 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

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

Origin of ammonite

1
C18: from New Latin Ammōnītēs, from Medieval Latin cornū Ammōnis, literally: horn of Ammon

Derived forms of ammonite

  • ammonitic (ˌæməˈnɪtɪk), adjective

British Dictionary definitions for ammonite (2 of 2)

ammonite2

/ (ˈæməˌnaɪt) /


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

  2. a nitrogenous fertilizer made from animal wastes

Origin of ammonite

2
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

[ ămə-nīt′ ]


  1. 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.