UREA

urea, carbamide

(noun) the chief solid component of mammalian urine; synthesized from ammonia and carbon dioxide and used as fertilizer and in animal feed and in plastics

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

urea (countable and uncountable, plural ureas)

(organic compound, uncountable) A water-soluble organic compound, CO(NH2)2, formed by the metabolism of proteins and excreted in the urine.

(chemistry, countable) Any N-substituted derivative of urea, with the general formula (R1R2N)CO(NR3R4).

Synonyms

• carbamide

Anagrams

• eaur

Source: Wiktionary


U"re*a, a. Etym: [NL. See Urine.] (Physiol. Chem.)

Definition: A very soluble crystalline body which is the chief constituent of the urine in mammals and some other animals. It is also present in small quantity in blood, serous fluids, lymph, the liver, etc.

Note: It is the main product of the regressive metamorphosis (katabolism) of proteid matter in the body, and is excreted daily to the amount of about 500 grains by a man of average weight. Chemically it is carbamide, CO(NH2)2, and when heated with strong acids or alkalies is decomposed into carbonic acid and ammonia. It unites with acids to form salts, as nitrate of urea, and it can be made synthetically from ammonium cyanate, with which it is isomeric. Urea ferment, a soluble ferment formed by certain bacteria, which, however, yield the ferment from the body of their cells only after they have been killed by alcohol. It causes urea to take up water and decompose into carbonic acid and ammonia. Many different bacteria possess this property, especially Bacterium ureƦ and Micrococcus ureƦ, which are found abundantly in urines undergoing alkaline fermentation.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

25 June 2025

DETENTION

(noun) a state of being confined (usually for a short time); ā€œhis detention was politically motivatedā€; ā€œthe prisoner is on holdā€; ā€œhe is in the custody of policeā€


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

The first coffee-house in Mecca dates back to the 1510s. The beverage was in Turkey by the 1530s. It appeared in Europe circa 1515-1519 and was introduced to England by 1650. By 1675 the country had more than 3,000 coffee houses, and coffee had replaced beer as a breakfast drink.

coffee icon