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tropic

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trop⋅ic

  [trop-ik]
Use tropic in a Sentence
–noun
1. Geography.
a. either of two corresponding parallels of latitude on the terrestrial globe, one (tropic of Cancer) about 23 1/2 ° N, and the other (tropic of Capricorn) about 23 1/2 ° S of the equator, being the boundaries of the Torrid Zone.
b. 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
3. of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or occurring in the tropics; tropical: romance under the tropic skies of Old Mexico.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < L tropicus < Gk tropikós pertaining to a turn, equiv. to tróp(os) turn + -ikos -ic
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-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:
see tropic
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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trop·ic   (trŏp'ĭk)   


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n.  

    1. 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.

    2. Tropics or tropics The region of the earth's surface lying between these latitudes.

  2. Astronomy Either of two corresponding parallels of celestial latitude that are the limits of the apparent northern and southern passages of the sun.

adj.  Of or relating to the Tropics; tropical.

[Middle English tropik, from Old French tropique, from Late Latin tropicus, from Latin, of a turn, from Greek tropikos, from tropē, a turning; see trep- in Indo-European roots.]
tro·pism   (trō'pĭz'əm)   
n.  The turning or bending movement of an organism or a part toward or away from an external stimulus, such as light, heat, or gravity.

[From -tropism.]
tro'pic, tro·pis'tic adj., tro·pis'ti·cal·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

tropic 
c.1391, "either of the two circles in the celestial sphere which describe the northernmost and southernmost points of the ecliptic," from L.L. tropicus "of or pertaining to the solstice" (as a noun, "one of the tropics"), from L. tropicus "pertaining to a turn," from Gk. tropikos "of or pertaining to a turn or change, or to the solstice" (as a noun, "the solstice"), from trope "a turning" (see trope). The notion is of the point at which the sun "turns back" after reaching its northernmost or southernmost point in the sky. Extended 1527 to the corresponding latitudes on the earth's surface (23 degrees 28 minutes north and south); meaning "region between these parallels" is from 1837. Tropical "hot and lush like the climate of the tropics" is first attested 1834.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: tro·pic
Pronunciation: 'trO-pik
Function: adjective
1 : of, relating to, or characteristic of tropism or of a tropism
2 of a hormone : influencing the activity of a specified gland
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

-tropic suff.
Affecting or attracted to something specified: gonadotropic.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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