The story
Blend of ornith- + (ur)ine. The name "ornithine" is in reference to its discovery as a benzoate ester in chicken excrement, by Max Jaffe in 1877.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
ornithine
Today it means: An amino acid, 2,5-diaminopentanoic acid, that is not present in protein, but is an intermediate in the biosynthesis of urea (the urea cycle). Full definition →