Ammon

volatile alkali, a colorless gas with a strong pungent smell, 1799, coined in scientific Latin 1782 by Swedish chemist Torbern Bergman as a name for the gas obtained from sal ammoniac, salt deposits containing ammonium chloride found near temple of Jupiter Ammon in Libya (see Ammon, and compare ammoniac). The shrine was ancient already in Augustus' day, and the salts, traditionally, first were prepared from mineral deposits "from the sands where the camels waited while their masters prayed for good omens" [Shipley, "Origins of English Words"]. Also known as spirit of hartshorn and volatile alkali or animal alkali.

late 14c., ammoniak, also armonyak, in reference to certain gums, earths or salts (sal ammoniac) used medicinally and held to have similar properties (see ammonia); from Old French ammoniac, armoniac, ultimately from Greek *ammoniakos, from the god-name Ammon (q.v.).

The gum (Latin guttae ammoniaci) came from a wild plant that grew across North Africa and Asia. The earth (Latin bolus armenicus) was so called because the substance was found in Armenia; hence the medieval forms were confused with words from Greek harmonia (gum ammoniac was used as a binding agent) or Armenia.

"fossil cephalopod mollusk," 1758, from French (Breyn, 1732), "better established" [Century Dictionary] by French zoologist Jean Guillaume Bruguière in 1789, from Medieval Latin (cornu) Ammonis "horn of Ammon," the Egyptian god of life and reproduction (see Ammon), who was depicted with ram's horns, which the fossils resemble. The resemblance also was noted in ancient times. They also were thought to be petrified snakes, hence snakestone.