Standard Lemma guide

tropic

adj · noun · 10 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈtɹɒpɪk/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɒpɪk
  • CMU ARPABET: T R AA1 P IH0 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of, or relating to the tropics; tropical.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of, or relating to the tropics; tropical.

Hot and humid.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: rare

Topics: climatology, meteorology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Having the quality of indirectly inducing a biological or chemical change in a system or substrate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: biochemistry, biology, chemistry, microbiology, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

Examples

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

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Pertaining to, involving, or of the nature of a trope or tropes.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

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.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: geography, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

The component of tone or rhetoric in a sentence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: human-sciences, philosophy, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

Alternative form of tropic (one of two specific lines of latitude that divide the Northern and Southern hemispheres, respectively; the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, alternative

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

adjective satellite

Meaning 8

of weather or climate; hot and humid as in the tropics

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • tropical weather

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: tropical

Antonyms: none provided

9

adjective satellite

Meaning 9

relating to or situated in or characteristic of the tropics (the region on either side of the equator)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • tropical islands
  • tropical fruit

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: tropical

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

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

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: latitude, line of latitude, parallel of latitude, parallel

Narrower terms: Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn

History

Etymology

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”).

Across languages

Translations

58 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مَدَار (madār) — either of the two parallels
  • Armenian: արեւադարձ (arewadarj) — either of the two parallels
  • Basque: tropiko — either of the two parallels
  • Belarusian: тро́пік (trópik) — either of the two parallels
  • Bulgarian: тропик (tropik) — either of the two parallels
  • Catalan: tròpic — either of the two parallels
  • Chinese Mandarin: 回歸線 /回归线 (huíguīxiàn) — either of the two parallels
  • Chinese Mandarin: 熱帶 /热带 (rèdài) — either of the two parallels
  • Corsican: tropicu — either of the two parallels
  • Czech: obratník — either of the two parallels
  • Danish: vendekreds — either of the two parallels
  • Dutch: keerkring — either of the two parallels
  • Esperanto: tropiko — either of the two parallels
  • Estonian: pöörijoon — either of the two parallels
  • Finnish: kääntöpiiri — either of the two parallels
  • French: tropique — either of the two parallels
  • Galician: trópico — either of the two parallels
  • Georgian: ტროპიკი (ṭroṗiḳi) — either of the two parallels
  • German: Wendekreis — either of the two parallels
  • Greek: τροπικός (tropikós) — either of the two parallels
  • Hebrew: חוג (khúg) — either of the two parallels
  • Hindi: ऊष्णकटिबन्ध (ūṣṇakṭibandh) — either of the two parallels
  • Hungarian: térítő — either of the two parallels
  • Ido: tropiko — either of the two parallels
  • Ingrian: troopikka — either of the two parallels
  • Irish: trópaic — either of the two parallels
  • Italian: tropico — either of the two parallels
  • Japanese: 回帰線 (kaikisen) — either of the two parallels
  • Japanese: 熱帯 (nettai) — either of the two parallels
  • Korean: 회귀선 (hoegwiseon) — either of the two parallels
  • Latvian: trops — either of the two parallels
  • Latvian: saulgriežu loks — either of the two parallels
  • Lithuanian: atogrąža — either of the two parallels
  • Macedonian: по́вратник (póvratnik) — either of the two parallels
  • Manx: çhyndaa ny greiney — either of the two parallels
  • Māori: takiwā pārūrū — either of the two parallels
  • Norwegian Bokmål: vendekrets — either of the two parallels
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: vendekrins — either of the two parallels
  • Persian: مدار (madâr) — either of the two parallels
  • Polish: zwrotnik — either of the two parallels
  • Portuguese: trópico — either of the two parallels
  • Romanian: tropic — either of the two parallels
  • Russian: тро́пик (trópik) — either of the two parallels
  • Serbo-Croatian: повратник — either of the two parallels
  • Serbo-Croatian: обратница — either of the two parallels
  • Serbo-Croatian: povratnik — either of the two parallels
  • Serbo-Croatian: obratnica — either of the two parallels
  • Sicilian: tropicu — either of the two parallels
  • Slovak: obrátnik — either of the two parallels
  • Slovene: povratnik — either of the two parallels
  • Spanish: trópico — either of the two parallels
  • Swedish: vändkrets — either of the two parallels
  • Thai: เขตร้อนของโลก (kèet-rɔ́ɔn-kɔ̌ɔng-lôok) — either of the two parallels
  • Turkish: dönence — either of the two parallels
  • Turkish: tropika — either of the two parallels
  • Ottoman Turkish: مدار (medar) — either of the two parallels
  • Ukrainian: тро́пік (trópik) — either of the two parallels
  • Vietnamese: nhiệt đới — either of the two parallels