Urea
/jʊˈriː.ə/noun
A nitrogen-containing organic compound found in urine and widely used in fertilizers and skincare.
Did you know?Urea was first isolated from urine in 1773, and it became the first organic compound ever synthesized from inorganic materials, a landmark that shattered the old boundary between “living” and “nonliving” chemistry.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ouron
“urine”
Late Latin
Latin
urina
“urine”
18th Century
French
urée
“the nitrogenous substance extracted from urine”
1828
English
urea
“the chemical compound isolated from urine and later synthesized”