dipole
n.a pair of equal but opposite electric charges or magnetic poles that are very close together. In chemistry, it describes a molecule where one end is slightly positive and the other is slightly negative.
n.a pair of equal and opposite electric charges or magnetic poles separated by a small distance. In chemistry, it refers to a molecule with a permanent separation of charge, resulting in a positive and a negative end.
“Water is a common example of a polar dipole.”
“The alignment of dipoles in a liquid can be influenced by the presence of an external electric field.”
“In molecular biology, the formation of hydrogen bonds between water molecules is facilitated by the dipole-dipole interactions that occur between the oxygen and hydrogen atoms.”
“A positive phase of the Indian Ocean Dipole – another large-scale shift in ocean temperatures – is expected to develop, while the tropical Atlantic is forecast to remain unusually warm.”
“In photonics, imagine a periodic system where, in every unit cell, two identical dipoles point in opposite directions, like two opposing antennas.”
From di- + pole.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.