əˈmōnyə also -nēə noun
( -s )
Etymology: New Latin, from Latin (sal) ammoniacus sal ammoniac, literally, salt of Ammon, from ammoniacus of Ammon, from Greek ammōniakos, from Ammōn, an Egyptian deity identified by the Greeks with Zeus, from Egyptian Amōn; from its having been prepared near a temple of Ammon in Egypt
1. : a colorless gaseous alkaline compound of nitrogen and hydrogen NH 3 that is lighter than air, of extremely pungent smell and taste, and very soluble in water, that can easily be condensed by cold and pressure to a liquid and for this reason is much used in producing artificial cold by the absorption of heat that takes place when the liquid ammonia evaporates, that was formerly made from nitrogenous organic matter (as horn, hoofs) but is now produced as a by-product of the gas and coke industry, that forms ammonium salts by combination with acids and forms many organic derivatives (as amines, amino acids, amides, alkaloids), and that is used both free and combined in medicine, the arts, and industry (as in making fertilizers and explosives — see liquid ammonia , synthetic ammonia process
2. : ammonia water