Adjacent Words

Tropic definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

TROP'IC, n. [L. tropicus; from Gr. a turning; to turn.]
1. In astronomy, a circle of the sphere drawn through a solstitial point, parallel to the equator; or the line which bounds the sun's declination from the equator, north or south. This declination is twenty-three degrees and a half nearly. There are two tropics; the tropic of Cancer, on the north of the equator, and the tropic of Capricorn on the south.
2. Tropics, in geography, are two lesser circles of the globe, drawn parallel to the equator through the beginning of Cancer and of Capricorn.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: relating to or situated in or characteristic of the tropics (the region on either side of the equator); "tropical islands"; "tropical fruit" [syn: tropical, tropic]
2: of weather or climate; hot and humid as in the tropics; "tropical weather" [syn: tropical, tropic] n
1: either of two parallels of latitude about 23.5 degrees to the north and south of the equator representing the points farthest north and south at which the sun can shine directly overhead and constituting the boundaries of the Torrid Zone or tropics

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English tropik, from Latin tropicus of the solstice, from Greek tropikos, from trop? turn Date: 1527 1. either of the two parallels of terrestrial latitude at a distance of about 23 1/2 degrees north or south of the equator where the sun is directly overhead when it reaches its most northerly or southerly point in the sky — compare Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn 2. plural, often capitalized the region lying between the tropics II. adjective Date: 1551 of, relating to, or occurring in the tropics III. adjective Etymology: trop- Date: 1903 1. of, relating to, or characteristic of tropism or of a tropism 2. of a hormone influencing the activity of a specified gland

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & adj. --n. 1 the parallel of latitude 23°27 Usage: north (tropic of Cancer) or south (tropic of Capricorn) of the Equator. 2 each of two corresponding circles on the celestial sphere where the sun appears to turn after reaching its greatest declination. 3 (the Tropics) the region between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. --adj. 1 = TROPICAL 1. 2 of tropism. Phrases and idioms: tropic bird any sea bird of the family Phaethontidae, with very long central tail-feathers. Etymology: ME f. L tropicus f. Gk tropikos f. trope turning f. trepo turn

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tropic Trop"ic, a. Of or pertaining to the tropics; tropical. Tropic bird (Zo["o]l.), any one of three species of oceanic belonging to the genus Pha["e]thon, found chiefly in tropical seas. They are mostly white, and have two central tail feathers very long and slender. The yellow-billed tropic bird. Pha["e]thon flavirostris (called also boatswain), is found on the Atlantic coast of America, and is common at the Bermudas, where it breeds.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tropic Trop"ic, a. [Atropine + -ic.] (Chem.) Of, pertaining to, or designating, an acid obtained from atropine and certain other alkaloids, as a white crystalline substance slightly soluble in water.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tropic Trop"ic, n. [F. tropique, L. tropicus of or belonging to a turn, i. e., of the sun, Gr. ? of the solstice, ? (sc. ?) the tropic or solstice, fr. ? to turn. See Trope.] 1. (Astron.) One of the two small circles of the celestial sphere, situated on each side of the equator, at a distance of 23[deg] 28[min], and parallel to it, which the sun just reaches at its greatest declination north or south, and from which it turns again toward the equator, the northern circle being called the Tropic of Cancer, and the southern the Tropic of Capricorn, from the names of the two signs at which they touch the ecliptic. 2. (Geog.) (a) One of the two parallels of terrestrial latitude corresponding to the celestial tropics, and called by the same names. (b) pl. The region lying between these parallels of latitude, or near them on either side. The brilliant flowers of the tropics bloom from the windows of the greenhouse and the saloon. --Bancroft.