It means: NOT 'loving' the water, it is quite unsoluble in water or badly mixable with water when it is a fluid. (E.g. oil, fat, petrol).
The opposite is hydrophylic: salts, sugar, acids, alcohol, many food stuffs
The molecule is nonpolar and hydrophobic.
This is called the hydrophobic 'side' of the phospholipid molecule
Hydrophobic describes molecules that are repelled by water. You can determine if a molecule is hydrophobic by looking at its structure - if it contains mostly nonpolar covalent bonds or hydrophobic functional groups (e.g. alkyl groups), it is likely to be hydrophobic. Additionally, hydrophobic molecules tend to aggregate together in water due to the hydrophobic effect.
A hydrophobic molecule is more likely to be nonpolar.
The polarity of a molecule determines whether it is hydrophilic (attracted to water) or hydrophobic (repelled by water). If a molecule is polar, it is typically hydrophilic, meaning it can dissolve in water. If a molecule is nonpolar, it is usually hydrophobic and does not mix well with water.
A molecule that is both hydrophobic and polar has a nonpolar region that repels water (hydrophobic) and a polar region that interacts with water (polar). This unique combination of properties allows the molecule to dissolve in both water and nonpolar solvents.
The lipid tails of a phospholipid molecule are hydrophobic, as they consist of nonpolar fatty acid chains that repel water.
Head and hydrophobic tail
Head and hydrophobic tail
Head and hydrophobic tail
This is called the hydrophobic 'side' of the phospholipid molecule
This is called the hydrophobic 'side' of the phospholipid molecule