amphiphile

noun

am·​phi·​phile ˈam(p)-fə-ˌfī(-ə)l 

plural amphiphiles

chemistry

: any compound (such as a surfactant or sphingolipid) composed of molecules that have a polar water-soluble group attached to a water-insoluble hydrocarbon chain : an amphiphilic compound

Biological amphiphiles form vesicles central to cell function and are principally lipids of molecular weight less than 1 kilodalton.

—Dennis E. Discher and Adi Eisenberg, Science, 9 Aug. 2002

also : a molecule of such a compound

It takes advantage of the fact that a class of molecules called amphiphiles are water-soluble on only one end.

—Popular Mechanics, December 1998

Word History

Etymology

amphi- + -phile entry 1

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined above

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