tropic

CEFRB2

/ˈtɹɒpɪk/

noun · adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    Either of two imaginary lines around Earth near the equator.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    Of, or relating to the tropics; tropical.

Examples

  • Earth's equator is parallel to the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer.

  • The Tropic of Capricorn is in the Southern Hemisphere.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
3

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. The component of tone or rhetoric in a sentence.

  2. Either of the two parallels of latitude 23°26′ north and south of the equator; the farthest points at which the sun can be directly overhead; the boundaries of the torrid zone or tropics.

adjective

Extra meaning

  1. Hot and humid.

More examples

In context

  • The binding of oxygen to hemoglobin is allosterically regulated by various tropic factors, such as BPG and acidity.

  • For since on ev'ry Sea, on ev'ry Coast, Your Men have been distress'd, your Navy tost, Sev'n times the Sun has either Tropick view'd,

  • This process of tropic change, once identified in nostalgia poems, can be applied to a range of new and emerging genres in various periods. Identifying the tropes of nostalgia, in other words, allows us to appreciate the process[…]

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The blank is known for its year-round warm climate and dense rainforests.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Late Latin tropicus (“of or pertaining to the solstice, as a noun, one of the tropics”), from Ancient Greek τροπικός (tropikós, “of or pertaining to a turn or change; or the solstice; or a trope or figure; tropic; tropical; etc.”), from τροπή (tropḗ, “turn; solstice; trope”).