uric acid

noun

: a white odorless and tasteless nearly insoluble acid C₅H₄N₄O₃ that is the chief nitrogenous waste present in the urine especially of birds, reptiles, and insects, is present in small quantity in human urine, and occurs pathologically in renal calculi and the tophi of gout

Examples of uric acid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For example, those living with gout may need to moderate their turkey intake, as research has shown that poultry can increase the build-up of uric acid, a precursor to the painful condition. —Chelsea Rae Bourgeois, Rdn, Ld, Health, 25 Nov. 2024

This excess weight can further promote uric acid production and decrease removal from your body.23 14. —Lauren Panoff, Mph, Rd, Verywell Health, 4 Nov. 2024

Lithium compounds also dissolve uric acid, which doctors in the mid-1800s believed to be the cause of many illnesses. —Shayla Love, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2024

Gout is caused by high levels of uric acid building up in the bloodstream over time. —Lana Barhum, Verywell Health, 27 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1800, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

uric acid

noun

: a white odorless nitrogen-containing acid that is present only in small quantities in the urine of mammals but is the chief form in which nitrogen is eliminated from the body especially of birds, reptiles, and insects

Medical Definition

uric acid

noun

: a white odorless nearly insoluble weak acid C₅H₄N₄O₃ that is present in small quantity in mammalian urine as an end product of purine metabolism, is present abundantly in the form of urates in the excreta of most lower vertebrates and invertebrates as the chief nitrogenous waste, and occurs pathologically in renal calculi and the tophi of gout