'dipole' originates from Greek elements: 'di-' meaning 'two' and 'pole' from Greek 'polos' meaning 'axis' or 'pivot'.

'dipole' was formed in modern scientific English by combining the Greek-derived prefix 'di-' with 'pole' (from Greek 'polos'), and became established in physics and electrical terminology in the late 19th to early 20th century.

Initially it denoted the basic idea of 'two poles' and over time retained this core meaning while gaining specialized senses in electricity, magnetism, molecular chemistry, and antenna theory.