ammonium
noun
Simple meaning
Behaves in many respects like an alkali metal ion.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
uhmohneeuhmSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
əˈmoʊniəm
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
inorganic chemistry
The ion NH4 derived from ammonia; behaves in many respects like an alkali metal ion
inorganic chemistry
The univalent NH₄⁺ cation, derived by the protonation of ammonia
organic chemistryespecially in combination
Any similar cation formed by replacing one or more hydrogen atoms with alkyl or aryl radicals
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Formality
- Technical
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The ion NH4 derived from ammonia; behaves in many respects like an alkali metal ion
Used this way, ammonium is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a scientific use: it names something precisely within a field of study, so it appears in research and teaching more than in conversation.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Science
- Academic writing
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A white crystalline double sulfate of aluminum: the ammonium double sulfate of aluminum.
A salt of carbamic acid that is used as a nitrogen fertilizer.
A carbonate of ammonium.
A white salt used in dry cells.
A water solution of ammonia.
The ion NH4 derived from ammonia.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: ion NH4 derived from ammonia
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