Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

ammonite

[ˈɛə̯mɪ̈nʌɪ̯t̚]

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.26 in modern English

Syllables: am-mo-nite
IPA: [ˈɛə̯mɪ̈nʌɪ̯t̚]

12

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of an extinct group of cephalopods of the subclass Ammonoidea; a fossil shell of such an animal.

noun

An explosive prepared from a mixture of TNT and ammonium nitrate; a form of amatol, popular in Eastern Europe and China.

Uncountable

noun

A native or inhabitant of Ammon.

adj

Of or pertaining to the Ammonites.

name

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 Sentences

"There's more interest to my mind in a neolithic scraper than in a whole show-case-full of ammonites and belemnites."
"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."
"There are a few well known shelled giant cephalopods from the fossil record. Some of the largest recorded ammonites are in the genus Parapuzosia, fossils of which reach up to 2m in diameter."

Etymology

Etymology tree Egyptian jmnbor. Ancient Greek Ᾰ̓́μμων (Ắmmōn)bor. Latin Ammōn Proto-Indo-European *-tósder. Ancient Greek -της (-tēs)der. Ancient Greek -ῑ́της (-ī́tēs)der. Latin -ītēslbor. French -ite French ammonitebor. English ammonite 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.

Origin

Source language: French

Word Breakdown

Prefix: Ammon
Root: ammonite, Ammōnis (cornū)
Suffix: -ite

Regional Pronunciation

American English: [ˈɛə̯mɪ̈nʌɪ̯t̚]

Usage

Uncountable

Inflected Forms

ammonites (plural)

Derived Forms

ammonitic ammonitiferous ammonitoid ammonitologist ammonitology neoammonite Ammonitish

Frequently Paired Words

amatol ammonitrate

Synonyms

ammonid ammonoid Ammonitish

Questions

How do you pronounce ammonite?: The recorded pronunciation is [ˈɛə̯mɪ̈nʌɪ̯t̚].
What does ammonite mean?: Any of an extinct group of cephalopods of the subclass Ammonoidea; a fossil shell of such an animal.
Where does ammonite come from?: It is traced to French.

How to pronounce ammonite

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “ammonite”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling ([ˈɛə̯mɪ̈nʌɪ̯t̚]) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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