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bipolar

[bahy-poh-ler]
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adjective
  1. having two poles, as the earth.
  2. of, relating to, or found at both polar regions.
  3. characterized by opposite extremes, as two conflicting political philosophies.
  4. Electronics. of or relating to a transistor that uses both positive and negative charge carriers.
  5. Psychiatry. of, relating to, or having bipolar disorder: His wife is bipolar.
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Origin of bipolar

First recorded in 1800–10; bi-1 + polar
Related formsbi·po·lar·i·ty, nounbi·po·lar·i·za·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

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British Dictionary definitions for bipolarity

bipolar

adjective
  1. having two polesa bipolar dynamo; a bipolar neuron
  2. relating to or found at the North and South Poles
  3. having or characterized by two opposed opinions, natures, etc
  4. (of a transistor) utilizing both majority and minority charge carriers
  5. suffering from bipolar manic-depressive disorder
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Derived Formsbipolarity, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bipolarity

n.

also bi-polarity, 1834; see bi- + polarity.

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bipolar

adj.

"having two poles," from bi- + polar; 1810 with figurative sense of "of double aspect;" 1859 with reference to physiology. Psychiatric use in reference to what had been called manic-depressive psychosis is said to have begun 1957 with German psychiatrist Karl Leonhard. The term became popular early 1990s. Bipolar disorder was in DSM III (1980).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
bipolarity in Medicine

bipolar

(bī-pō′lər)
adj.
  1. Having two poles; used especially of nerve cells in which the branches project from two usually opposite points.
  2. Of or relating to both ends or poles of a bacterial or other cell.
  3. Of or relating to a major mood disorder that is characterized by episodes of mania and depression.
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Related formsbi′po•lar′i•ty (-lăr′ĭ-tē) n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
bipolarity in Science

bipolar

[bī-pō′lər]
  1. Relating to or having two poles or charges.
  2. Relating to a semiconductor device, such as a transistor, that exploits the electrical characteristics of contact between two substances, one with an inherent positive charge, the other with an inherent negative charge.
  3. Relating to or involving both of the Earth's polar regions.
  4. Relating to a neuron that has two processes or extremities.
  5. Relating to bipolar disorder.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.