Ammonite

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈæ.məˌnaɪt/

Definitions

1. A prehistoric marine animal with a coiled shell pattern, known for its intricate suture lines, that existed in ancient oceans during the Mesozoic period
2. An extinct mollusk recognized for its spiral shell and elaborate internal divisions, which thrived in marine environments millions of years ago
3. A long-extinct marine cephalopod characterized by its helical shell structure, which features complex patterns and lived in seas during the age of dinosaurs

Etymology: The fossil's name comes from a god. Ancient Egyptians worshipped Amun, often shown with ram's horns, and the Greeks identified him with Ammon. Pliny the Elder, the Roman writer, called these coiled fossils "cornu Ammonis," or "horn of Ammon," because their spiral looked like the curled horns of a ram. The Latin name passed into French as "ammonite," and English adopted that French form. The word therefore descends from the name of a deity, with the suffix "-ite," a common ending for stones and fossils, added to form the noun. The base "Ammon" is itself an Egyptian name, "jmn," rendered in Greek as "Ammōn" and in Latin as "Ammōn," so the word carries a trace of Egyptian religion into the vocabulary of palaeontology.