English

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Medieval Latin urinātus, perfect passive participle of urinō (urinate) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), equivalent to urine +‎ -ate. Compare French uriner.

Pronunciation

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Verb

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urinate (third-person singular simple present urinates, present participle urinating, simple past and past participle urinated)

  1. (intransitive, urology) To pass urine from the body.
    Our new puppy still urinates on the carpet, but we're housebreaking her.
    Boys on their campsite should avoid urinating within 200 feet of the lake.
    • 1877, John Harvey Kellogg, Plain Facts for Old and Young:
      See that the bladder is emptied just before he goes to bed. Wake him once or twice during the night, and have him urinate.
    • 1941, George Ryley Scott, Phallic Worship: A History of Sex and Sex Rites in Relation to the Religions of All Races from Antiquity to the Present Day, London: T. Werner Laurie, page 27:
      The fact that, to the ancients, nothing appeared to be produced without the action of fire or water, or both, suggested the part played by them in the creation of animal and vegetable life. It was a sin to pollute a stream or river by urinating in it.

Usage notes

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This is a medical term loaned from Latin, but some people prefer to use this word in some social situations as an alternative to piss which can be too vulgar and pee, wee, etc. which can sound embarrassingly childish. The same applies to the noun urine.

Synonyms

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Translations

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See also

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Anagrams

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Esperanto

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Adverb

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urinate

  1. present adverbial passive participle of urini

Italian

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Etymology 1

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Verb

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urinate

  1. inflection of urinare:
    1. second-person plural present indicative
    2. second-person plural imperative

Etymology 2

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Participle

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urinate f pl

  1. feminine plural of urinato

Anagrams

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Latin

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Participle

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ūrīnāte

  1. vocative masculine singular of ūrīnātus