dipole
|di-pole|
🇺🇸
/ˈdaɪpoʊl/
🇬🇧
/ˈdaɪpəʊl/
two opposing poles / a paired opposite
Etymology
'dipole' originates from New Latin/Modern scientific coinage, ultimately from Greek elements 'di-' meaning 'two' and 'polos' meaning 'axis' or 'pivot'.
'dipole' was formed in scientific usage in the 19th century (New Latin/Modern usage) from Greek elements 'di-' + 'polos' and entered English in discussions of magnetism and later electricity and molecular chemistry.
Initially used to describe a pair of magnetic poles, its use expanded to electric charges, molecular polarity, and antenna structures, while keeping the core idea of 'two opposite poles'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a pair of equal and opposite electric charges or magnetic poles separated by a distance; often described by its dipole moment.
An electric dipole consists of two equal and opposite charges separated by a small distance.
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Noun 2
in chemistry, a molecule that has a separation of positive and negative electrical charge (a polar molecule).
Water molecules are permanent dipoles with a partial positive charge on hydrogen and partial negative charge on oxygen.
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Last updated: 2025/11/21 21:34