urea

[ yoo-ree-uh, yoor-ee-uh ]

/ yʊˈri ə, ˈyʊər i ə /

Save This Word!

noun

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

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.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also called carbamide.

Origin of urea

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

OTHER WORDS FROM urea

u·re·al, u·re·ic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use urea in a sentence

Other factors being equal, the amount of urea indicates the activity of metabolism.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Crystals of urea nitrate or oxalate (Fig. 19) will soon appear and can be recognized with the microscope.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
The urea was not increased and the relation of urea to total nitrogen remained the same.
The Propaganda for Reform in Proprietary Medicines, Vol. 1 of 2|Various
No urea escapes by the skin, but many acids (probably fatty ones) are liberated by that organ.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley

This remedy was thought to convert uric acid into urea, and to so help elimination.
Scientific American Supplement No. 299|Various

British Dictionary definitions for urea

urea

/ (ˈjʊərɪə) /

noun

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) 2Also called: carbamide

Derived forms of urea

ureal or ureic, adjective

Word Origin for urea

C19: from New Latin, from French urée, from Greek ouron urine

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for urea

urea

[ yu-rē′ə ]

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 (NH2) are removed from amino acids and converted into ammonium ions (NH4), 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: CON2H4.