What does urate mean?
Urate is a technical term for a salt formed from uric acid. In medicine, it commonly refers not only to the salt itself but also to crystals or deposits of it. Monosodium urate, for example, is the form associated with the painful inflammation and joint damage characteristic of gout. Urate deposits may also occur in the kidneys and urinary tract, where they can contribute to stone formation or kidney injury. The word should not be used as a general synonym for uric acid: the acid and its salts are chemically distinct, even though they are closely related in the body. Although urate can function as a verb meaning to form or excrete urates, that use is much less common in modern English than the noun. Most general readers will encounter the word in medical reports, discussions of gout, or explanations of uric-acid metabolism.
A salt of uric acid; by extension, a crystal or deposit composed of such a salt.
"Needle-shaped urate crystals in the joint confirmed that the attack was gout."
The term is predominantly medical and biochemical; monosodium urate is the best-known specific form.
To form, deposit, or excrete urates, especially in urine.
"The medication increased the amount of urate excreted by the patient."
This use is uncommon and occurs mainly in technical medical and biochemical writing.
The plural is used when referring to multiple salts or to urate crystals or deposits collectively.
"The scan revealed urates in the soft tissues around the affected joints."
Needle-like urate crystals can trigger the intense inflammation of a gout attack.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does urate come from?
Urate entered English through French urate in the late eighteenth century, from a New Latin form based on Latin uras, itself associated with Greek ouron, meaning “urine.” The word belongs to a family that includes uric, urinary, and urology, all developed around the same ancient root for urine. Its scientific sense reflects the development of modern chemistry and medicine, in which uric acid and its salts were given precise names.
Related word forms
How urate is actually used
The noun is chiefly used in medical and biochemical contexts. The verb is comparatively rare and has a technical register.
Easily confused with urate
Urate is a salt of uric acid, whereas urea is an organic compound containing carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.