Urea

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /jʊˈɹiːə/

Definitions

1. A water-soluble nitrogen-containing compound resulting from protein breakdown that is essential for various biochemical processes in living organisms
2. A substance produced during the metabolism of amino acids that plays a crucial role in nitrogen cycle and is commonly found in fertilizers
3. A compound containing nitrogen that dissolves in water and is produced when proteins are broken down in the body

Etymology: The most striking thing about "urea" is that it was first isolated from urine, and its name still carries that origin. In 1773 the French chemist Hilaire Rouelle identified it in urine, and the French coined "urée" from the Greek "oûron," meaning urine. The Greek word itself comes from "ouréō," "to urinate," so the name is a plain description of where the substance was found. The term passed into English through New Latin, the scientific Latin used by European researchers, which took the French form and gave it a Latin-style ending. English chemists adopted it as a standard name for the compound. The word is a clean example of early chemistry naming a substance after the natural source where it was first found.

Synonyms: carbamide, INVALID, INVALID, INVALID, INVALID