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View synonyms for tropic

tropic

1

[ trop-ik ]

noun

  1. Geography.
    1. either of two corresponding parallels of latitude on the terrestrial globe, one tropic of Cancer about 23½° N, and the other tropic of Capricorn about 23½° S of the equator, being the boundaries of the Torrid Zone.
    2. the tropics, the regions lying between and near these parallels of latitude; the Torrid Zone and neighboring regions.
  2. Astronomy. either of two circles on the celestial sphere, one lying in the same plane as the tropic of Cancer, the other in the same plane as the tropic of Capricorn.


adjective

  1. of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or occurring in the tropics; tropical:

    romance under the tropic skies of Old Mexico.

-tropic

2
  1. a combining form with the meanings “turned toward, with an orientation toward” that specified by the initial element ( geotropic ), “having an affinity for, affecting” what is specified ( lipotropic; neurotropic; psychotropic ), “affecting the activity of, maintaining” a specified organ ( gonadotropic ).

tropic

1

/ ˈtrɒpɪk /

noun

  1. sometimes capital either of the parallel lines of latitude at about 23 1 2 °N ( tropic of Cancer ) and 23 1 2 °S ( tropic of Capricorn ) of the equator
  2. the tropics
    often capital that part of the earth's surface between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn; the Torrid Zone
  3. astronomy either of the two parallel circles on the celestial sphere having the same latitudes and names as the corresponding lines on the earth
“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


adjective

  1. a less common word for tropical
“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

-tropic

2

combining form

  1. turning or developing in response to a certain stimulus

    heliotropic

“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

tropic

/ trŏpĭk /

  1. Either of the two parallels of latitude representing the points farthest north and south at which the Sun can shine directly overhead. The northern tropic is the Tropic of Cancer and the southern one is the Tropic of Capricorn .
  2. tropics. The region of the Earth lying between these latitudes. The tropics are generally the warmest and most humid region of the Earth.
  3. Also called Torrid Zone


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Other Words From

  • non·tropic adjective
  • un·tropic adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of tropic1

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin tropicus < Greek tropikós pertaining to a turn, equivalent to tróp ( os ) turn + -ikos -ic

Origin of tropic2

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Word History and Origins

Origin of tropic1

C14: from Late Latin tropicus belonging to a turn, from Greek tropikos , from tropos a turn; from the ancient belief that the sun turned back at the solstices

Origin of tropic2

from Greek tropos a turn; see trope
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Example Sentences

Instead, rafts of atmospheric wind deliver fresh ozone from the tropics, where it naturally forms, to the poles.

At the same time, the Earth’s orbit around the sun was more oval, and seasonal variation in sunlight in the tropics was double what it is today.

Very little is known about what animals in the tropics were going through during the exchange.

An astronaut is unlikely to be infected with a disease from the tropics, for example.

People living in places such as northern Europe, Canada and the United States could learn a thing or two from countries in the tropics, says Kurt Shickman.

Mr Hock used to be an owner of the Hawaiian Tropic Zone in Times Square.

In Tropic Thunder, he was a hopelessly deluded movie star in search of an Oscar.

He did a comic turn in Tropic Thunder and a quirky commercial for Jimmy Kimmel that aired during the Oscars.

"Tropic Thunder" was a modest hit ($159 million), but it cost a fortune to make ($100 million).

Some tropic birds were seen this morning but as yet neither albatrosses nor pintadoes had made their appearance.

This specimen was obtained at Ascension, and is common in all parts of the Atlantic within or near the Tropic.

Through the tracery of the lattice came the warm breeze, bearing the narcotic scent of those tropic gardens.

That organ has only to exhale, in its degree, a fostering tropic air in order to produce complications almost beyond reckoning.

Scurlocks voice, rising out of the softly-lit tropic evening, died suddenly.

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trophy wifetropical