tropic

[ trop-ik ]

/ ˈtrɒp ɪk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tropic ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Geography.

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.
the tropics, the regions lying between and near these parallels of latitude; the Torrid Zone and neighboring regions.

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

of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or occurring in the tropics; tropical: romance under the tropic skies of Old Mexico.

Nearby words

trophozoite, trophy, trophy room, trophy wife, tropia, tropic, tropic bird, tropic of cancer, tropic of capricorn, tropical, tropical abscess

Origin of tropic

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

Related forms

non·trop·ic, adjectiveun·trop·ic, adjective

Definition for tropic (2 of 2)

-tropic

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).

Compare -trophic.

Origin of -tropic

see origin at tropic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tropic

In Tropic Thunder, he was a hopelessly deluded movie star in search of an Oscar.
Ben Stiller's Daddy Issues|Jacob Bernstein|April 20, 2011|DAILY BEAST
He did a comic turn in Tropic Thunder and a quirky commercial for Jimmy Kimmel that aired during the Oscars.
The Resurrection of Tom Cruise|Kim Masters|May 1, 2009|DAILY BEAST
"Tropic Thunder" was a modest hit ($159 million), but it cost a fortune to make ($100 million).
How Much Paramount Lost In Its Deal with Spielberg|Sharon Waxman|October 15, 2008|DAILY BEAST
It was midday, then, on the tropic seas, and the horizon was closing in with clouds as of blood and vapours of stifling heat.
The Manxman|Hall Caine

His face was clear-cut and bronzed by tropic sun and ocean winds.
The Code of the Mountains|Charles Neville Buck
But in the region which lies south of the Tropic of Capricorn, outside the region of trade-winds, the exact reverse holds.
South America Observations and Impressions|James Bryce
This specimen was obtained at Ascension, and is common in all parts of the Atlantic within or near the Tropic.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King
Everything was green and wet, and the wet green clambered from within, a threat, a tropic impulse.
When the Owl Cries|Paul Bartlett

British Dictionary definitions for tropic (1 of 2)

tropic

/ (ˈtrɒpɪk) /

noun

(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

the tropics (often capital) that part of the earth's surface between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn; the Torrid Zone

astronomy either of the two parallel circles on the celestial sphere having the same latitudes and names as the corresponding lines on the earth

adjective

a less common word for tropical

Word Origin for tropic

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

British Dictionary definitions for tropic (2 of 2)

-tropic

adj combining form

turning or developing in response to a certain stimulusheliotropic

Word Origin for -tropic

from Greek tropos a turn; see trope

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

Medicine definitions for tropic

-tropic

suff.

Affecting or attracted to something specified:gonadotropic.

Science definitions for tropic

tropic

[ trŏp′ĭk ]

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.

tropics. The region of the Earth lying between these latitudes. The tropics are generally the warmest and most humid region of the Earth. Also called Torrid Zone