subtropical

American  

[suhb-trop-i-kuhl] / sʌbˈtrɒp ɪ kəl /

adjective

1. bordering on the tropics; nearly tropical.

2. pertaining to or occurring in a region between tropical and temperate; subtorrid; semitropical.

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noun

1. a subtropical plant.

subtropical Scientific  

/ sŭb-trŏp′ĭ-kəl /

1. Relating to the regions of the Earth bordering on the tropics, just north of the Tropic of Cancer or just south of the Tropic of Capricorn. Subtropical regions are the warmest parts of the two Temperate Zones.

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Etymology

Origin of subtropical

First recorded in 1835–45; sub- + tropical

Example Sentences

Wearing a thick navy jacket over a wool sweater, Ivannikov, the head of the department of tropical and subtropical plants, picked up a leaf that had just come rustling down.

From Barron's

According to Svenning, these trees often have thick leaves, dense wood, and long lifespans, and they are especially common in moist tropical and subtropical forests.

From Science Daily

Frigid temperatures in the largely subtropical state can "cold-stun" iguanas, causing them to fall off trees in what has been referred to as a "lizard blizzard."

From Barron's

About 72 million years ago, the region that is now the Hațeg Basin experienced a warm, subtropical climate shaped by temporary river systems.

From Science Daily

In the damp shade beneath moss-covered trees, high in the mountains of Taiwan and mainland Japan or deep within the subtropical forests of Okinawa, an unusual organism quietly grows.

From Science Daily