Physics term for a pair of equal and opposite electric charges or magnetic poles separated by a small distance.
A water molecule has a dipole moment.
electric dipole
dipole moment
Compound of 双 (sō, 'pair') + 極 (kyoku, 'pole') + 子 (shi, 'small thing' or nominalizer), literally 'two-pole entity'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the term is a modern technical coinage.