Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “bipolar” come from?

Bipolar comes from English bi- plus polar, which derives from Latin polāris, formed from Latin pōlus meaning "pole" and the Latin suffix -ālis.

bipolar (English): Involving or having both extremes or poles at the...

Definitions

  1. Involving or having both extremes or poles at the...

Ancestry of “bipolar”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishbi-API; two, paired, both; half
2Ancient Greekβίοςlife
3Ancient GreekΓένεσις—
4Proto-Hellenicgénetisorigin, source
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵénh₁tisbirth, production
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵenh₁-to produce, to beget, to give birth

Words derived from “bipolar”

  • bipolarism
  • nonbipolar
  • microbipolar
  • bipolarly
  • antibipolar
  • bipolarist
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- →