tropic
The definition of a tropic is an area located from 23.5 degrees on the north of the equator down to 23.5 degrees on the south of the equator.
(noun)An example of a tropic is the Tropic of Capricorn, the area from the equator to 23.5 degree south of the equator.
See tropic in Webster's New World College Dictionary
noun
- Astron. either of two circles of the celestial sphere parallel to the celestial equator, one, the , c. 23° 26 north, and the other, the , c. 23° 26 south: they are the limits of the apparent north-and-south journey of the sun and are determined by the obliquity of the ecliptic
- Geog. either of two parallels of latitude ( and ) situated on either side of the earth's equator that correspond to the astronomical tropics
Origin: ME tropik < LL tropicus < Gr tropikos, belonging to a turn (of the sun at the solstices) < tropē: see trope
adjective
Origin: < Gr -tropos, turning (< trepein: see trope) + -ic
See tropic in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
- a. Either of two parallels of latitude on the earth, one 23°27: north of the equator and the other 23°27: 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.b. Tropics or tropics The region of the earth's surface lying between these latitudes.
- Astronomy Either of two corresponding parallels of celestial latitude that are the limits of the apparent northern and southern passages of the sun.
Origin:
Origin: Middle English tropik
Origin: , from Old French tropique
Origin: , from Late Latin tropicus
Origin: , from Latin, of a turn
Origin: , from Greek tropikos
Origin: , from tropē, a turning; see trep- in Indo-European roots
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tropic
- Turning or changing in a specified way or in response to a specified stimulus: heliotropic.
- Affecting or attracted to something specified: gonadotropic.
Origin:
Origin: From Greek tropē, a turning; see tropic
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