ammonia

noun am·mo·nia \ ə-ˈmō-nyə \

|Updated on: 14 Jun 2018

Definition of ammonia

1 : a pungent colorless gaseous alkaline compound of nitrogen and hydrogen NH₃ that is very soluble in water and can easily be condensed to a liquid by cold and pressure

2 : ammonia water

See ammonia defined for English-language learners

See ammonia defined for kids

Recent Examples of ammonia from the Web

The plants build specialized structures on their roots called nodules to house and feed the bacteria, which in turn fix nitrogen for the plants and assure them a steady supply of ammonia.

— diana gitig, Ars Technica, "Plants repeatedly got rid of their ability to obtain their own nitrogen," 27 May 2018
That component drives and controls the flow of ammonia through the station’s outdoor cooling system.

— phil keating, Fox News, "NASA astronauts spacewalk on ISS to fix coolant pumps," 16 May 2018
If it's tarnished, mix a few drops of ammonia into soapy water, submerge the jewelry and carefully brush with a soft-bristle toothbrush.

— amanda greene, Woman's Day, "How to Clean Your Jewelry at Home," 8 Mar. 2017
The amount of ammonia present in Pluto may also show why Neptune and Uranus have large deposits of the compound: because both ate some Kuiper Belt Objects.

— john wenz, Popular Mechanics, "Here's What We Know About Pluto So Far," 17 July 2015
Similar transitions occur for other compounds, like carbon monoxide and ammonia.

— joshua sokol, WIRED, "These Spinning Disks of Gas and Dust Reveal How Planets Get Made," 28 May 2018
The plants can then get at it by catalyzing reactions with ammonia.

— diana gitig, Ars Technica, "Plants repeatedly got rid of their ability to obtain their own nitrogen," 27 May 2018
His body reeked of apple-cider vinegar as his sweat excreted excess ammonia.

— paul bisceglio, The Atlantic, "The Wisdom of Running a 2,189-Mile Marathon," 13 May 2018
Scientists who have studied Uranus before already speculated that the planet was dominated mostly by either ammonia or hydrogen sulfide, but there has never been actual proof until now.

— alexia lafata, The Cut, "Uranus Smells Like Farts," 24 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ammonia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of ammonia

New Latin, from Latin sal ammoniacus sal ammoniac, literally, salt of Ammon, from Greek ammōniakos of Ammon, from Ammōn Ammon, Amun, an Egyptian god near whose temple at the Siwa oasis it was extracted

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1788

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

AMMONIA Defined for English Language Learners

ammonia

noun

Definition of ammonia for English Language Learners

: a colorless gas or liquid that has a strong smell and taste and that is used especially in cleaning products

AMMONIA Defined for Kids

ammonia

noun am·mo·nia \ ə-ˈmō-nyə \

Definition of ammonia for Students

1 : a colorless gas that is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen, has a sharp smell and taste, can be easily made liquid by cold and pressure, and is used in cleaning products and in making fertilizers and explosives

2 : a solution of ammonia and water

Medical Dictionary

ammonia

noun am·mo·nia \ ə-ˈmō-nyə \

medical Definition of ammonia

1 : a pungent colorless gaseous alkaline compound of nitrogen and hydrogen NH₃ that is very soluble in water and can easily be condensed to a liquid by cold and pressure

2 : ammonia water