URIC
U"ric, a. Etym: [Gr. urique. See Urine.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to urine; obtained from urine; as, uric acid. Uric acid, a crystalline body, present in small quantity in the urine of man and most mammals. Combined in the form of urate of ammonia, it is the chief constituent of the urine of birds and reptiles, forming the white part. Traces of it are also found in the various organs of the body. It is likewise a common constituent, either as the free acid or as a urate, of urinary or renal calculi and of the so-called gouty concretions. From acid urines, uric acid is frequently deposited, on standing in a cool place, in the form of a reddish yellow sediment, nearly always crystalline. Chemically, it is composed of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen, C5H4N4O3, and by decomposition yields urea, among other products. It can be made synthetically by heating together urea and glycocoll. It was formerly called also lithic acid, in allusion to its occurrence in stone, or calculus.
URIM
U"rim, n. Etym: [Heb. , pl. of , fire light.]
Defn: A part or decoration of the breastplate of the high priest among the ancient Jews, by which Jehovah revealed his will on certain occasions. Its nature has been the subject of conflicting conjectures. Thou shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim. Ex. xxviii. 30. And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. 1 Sam. xxviii. 6.
Note: Professor Plumptre supposes the Urim to have been a clear and colorless stone set in the breastplate of the high priest as a symbol of light, answering to the mystic scarab in the pectoral plate of the ancient Egyptian priests, and that the Thummim was an image corresponding to that worn by the priestly judges of Egypt as a symbol of truth and purity of motive. By gazing steadfastly on these, he may have been thrown into a mysterious, half ecstatic state, akin to hypnotism, in which he lost all personal consciousness, and received a spiritual illumination and insight.
URINAL
U"ri*nal, n. Etym: [L. urinal, fr. urina urine: cf. F. urinal.]
1. A vessel for holding urine; especially, a bottle or tube for holding urine for inspection.
2. A place or convenience for urinating purposes.
URINARIUM
U`ri*na"ri*um, n. Etym: [LL. urinarium.] (Agric.)
Defn: A reservoir for urine, etc., for manure.