a gas with a strong smell; a clear liquid containing ammonia, used as a cleaning substance 氨；氨水 Word Originlate 18th cent.: modern Latin, from sal ammoniacus, ‘salt of Ammon’. This came from the Greek word ammōniakos ‘of Ammon’, used as a name for the salt and gum obtained near the temple of Jupiter Ammon at Siwa in Egypt.