urea

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

noun
  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.

Origin of urea

1
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

Words Nearby urea

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How to use urea in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for urea

urea

/ (ˈjʊərɪə) /


noun
  1. 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: Also called: carbamide

Origin of urea

1
C19: from New Latin, from French urée, from Greek ouron urine

Derived forms of urea

  • ureal or ureic, adjective

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-rēə ]


  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 (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.

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