Where does “ammoniac” come from?
ammoniac (French) comes from Latin ammoniacum, from Ancient Greek ἀμμωνιακόν, from Ancient Greek Ἄμμων, from Egyptian jmn, from Egyptian mn, from Proto-Vietic kaw, from Dutch kauwen, from Middle Dutch couwen — to chew.
ammoniac (French): ammonia; ammonic, ammonical
Definitions
- ammonia; ammonic, ammonical
Ancestry of “ammoniac”, step by step
ammoniac traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Latin ammoniacum
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | ammoniacum | gum ammoniac; ammonia |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | ἀμμωνιακόν | ammoniacum, a kind of gum resin; Ferula... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | Ἄμμων | Amun |
| 4 | Egyptian | jmn | to hide, to conceal; to hide, to be hidden or... |
| 5 | Egyptian | mn | to be established, to be fixed or set; to stick,... |
| 6 | Proto-Vietic | kaw | — |
| 7 | Dutch | kauwen | to chew |
| 8 | Middle Dutch | couwen | to chew |
| 9 | Old Dutch | kiuwan | to chew |
| 10 | Proto-West Germanic | keuwan | to chew |
| 11 | Proto-Germanic | kewwaną | to chew |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵyewh₁- | to chew |
via Latin sal ammoniacus
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | sal ammoniacus | salt of Amun, ammonium chloride |