ammonite

Definitions

1. A native or inhabitant of Ammon.
2. 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.
3. Any of an extinct group of cephalopods of the subclass Ammonoidea; a fossil shell of such an animal.
4. An explosive prepared from a mixture of TNT and ammonium nitrate; a form of amatol, popular in Eastern Europe and China.
   uncountable

Equivalents

Examples

“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.”

“Visit⟳ the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site in the UK, and ammonite road signs greet⟳ you at every town and city and even the lampposts on the seafront feature a familiar coiled shell.”

“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.”

CEFR level