ORNITHINE

noun Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary ornithuric acid (a compound of which ~ is a component, found in the urine of birds) + 2-ine Date: 1881 a crystalline amino acid C 5 H 12 N 2 O 2 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