Phospholipids are described as amphipathic because a single molecule carries:

1. A phospholipid holds two fatty acid chains and one modified phosphate group. 2. The fatty acid chains are hydrophobic and cannot interact with water. 3. The phosphate-containing group is hydrophilic and does interact with water. 4. Carrying both kinds of region at once is what amphipathic means, and it is why phospholipids form membrane bilayers. _Source: OpenStax Biology for AP(R) Courses (CC BY 4.0), Ch 3 'Biological Macromolecules', sections 3.1-3.5_