ammo (English)
Where does "ammo" come from?
The English noun 'ammo' is formed as a clipping of the word 'ammunition' combined with the suffix '-o'[1]. The longer source word 'ammunition' traces back through older French 'amunition', which arose from a rebracketing of 'la munition' into 'l'amunition', and ultimately stems from Latin[2].
Full etymology tree
- ammo (English), 'Ammunition.'
- clipping ammunition (English), 'Articles used in charging firearms and ordnance of all kinds; as powder, balls, shot, shells, percussion caps, rockets, etc.'
- derived amunition (Middle French)
- derived munition (Latin)
- derived amunition (Middle French)
- suffix -o (English), 'A colloquializing suffix, typically appended to names, abbreviations of long words, or substantive uses of adjectives.'
- clipping ammunition (English), 'Articles used in charging firearms and ordnance of all kinds; as powder, balls, shot, shells, percussion caps, rockets, etc.'
Ancestors
- o (English)
Descendants and derived words
- ammo belt (English)
- ammo humper (English)
- ammosexual (English)
Sources
Updated August 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris