Here's the breakdown:
* Ancient Egyptian: The ancient Egyptians referred to the ammonium chloride salt found near the Temple of Amun in the Libyan desert as "amonian".
* Greek: This term was later adopted by the Greeks, who referred to the same substance as "ammōniakē", which means "salt of Amun".
Over time, "ammōniakē" was shortened to "ammonia", and the term eventually came to refer to the gaseous compound NH3, which is produced when ammonium chloride is heated with a strong base.