ornithine

noun

or·​ni·​thine ˈȯr-nə-ˌthēn 

: a crystalline amino acid C₅H₁₂N₂O₂ that functions especially in urea production as a carrier by undergoing conversion to citrulline and then arginine in reaction with ammonia and carbon dioxide followed by recovery along with urea by enzymatic hydrolysis of arginine

Examples of ornithine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

On September 14, he was injected with the treatment, a normal ornithine transcarbamylase gene that the researchers had encased in an attenuated cold virus. —Doug Johnson, Ars Technica, 5 Jan. 2023

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary ornithuric acid (a compound of which ornithine is a component, found in the urine of birds) + -ine entry 2

First Known Use

1878, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

ornithine

noun

or·​ni·​thine ˈȯr-nə-ˌthēn 

: a crystalline amino acid C₅H₁₂N₂O₂ that functions especially in urea production as a carrier by undergoing conversion to citrulline and then arginine in reaction with ammonia and carbon dioxide followed by recovery along with urea by enzymatic hydrolysis of arginine