urea

American  

[yoo-ree-uh, yoor-ee-uh] / jʊˈri ə, ˈjʊər i ə /

noun

• ureas
  plural

1. Biochemistry. a compound, CO(NH2 ) 2 , occurring in urine and other body fluids as a product of protein metabolism.

2. Chemistry. a water-soluble powder form of this compound, obtained by the reaction of liquid ammonia and liquid carbon dioxide: used as a fertilizer, animal feed, in the synthesis of plastics, resins, and barbiturates, and in medicine as a diuretic and in the diagnosis of kidney function.

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urea British  

/ ˈjʊərɪə /

noun

1. Also called: carbamide.  a white water-soluble crystalline compound with a saline taste and often an odour of ammonia, produced by protein metabolism and excreted in urine. A synthetic form is used as a fertilizer, animal feed, and in the manufacture of synthetic resins. Formula: CO(NH 2 ) 2

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urea Scientific  

/ y-rē′ə /

1. The chief nitrogen-containing waste product excreted in the urine of mammals and some fish. It is the final nitrogenous product in the breakdown of proteins by the body, during which amino groups (NH ₂) are removed from amino acids and converted into ammonium ions (NH ₄), which are toxic at high concentrations. The liver then converts the ammonium ions into urea. Urea is also made artificially for use in fertilizers and medicine. Chemical formula: CON ₂ H ₄ .

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• ureal
  adjective
• ureic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ureas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of urea

1800–10; < New Latin < French urée; ultimately < Greek oûron urine or oureîn to urinate; see uro- ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

urea ureas

The Middle East is one of the world’s largest suppliers of urea, a widely used synthetic nitrogen fertilizer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

Find insight on urea, Canada’s critical minerals, AngloTeck and more in the latest Market Talks covering basic materials.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

Prices for urea, the most essential fertilizer for farmers worldwide, returned to near prewar levels even before the U.S. and Iran announced their interim peace accord this week.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

For urea and its nitrogen-based cousin ammonia, the peacetime outlook is stable, CRU’s Thomas thinks.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

There’s also the protein supplement, a sticky brown goop made of molasses and urea.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

When heated with water they yield carbon dioxide and symmetrical dialkyl ureas; with ammonia and amines they form alkyl ureas; and with acid anhydrides they yield tertiary amides.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 8 "Cube" to "Daguerre, Louis" by Various

Substituted ammonias were also made to combine with cyanic acid, and it was found that the substituted ammonium cyanates produced pass much more readily into the corresponding ureas than ammonium cyanate itself.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 8 "Cube" to "Daguerre, Louis" by Various