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tropic1

Syllabification: (trop·ic)

Pronunciation: /ˈträpik/

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Definition of tropic

noun

the parallel of latitude 23°26ʹ north (tropic of Cancer) or south (tropic of Capricorn) of the equator.
Astronomy each of two corresponding circles on the celestial sphere where the sun appears to turn after reaching its greatest declination, marking the northern and southern limits of the ecliptic.
(the tropics) the region between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.

adjective

another term for tropical (sense 1).

Origin:

late Middle English (denoting the point on the ecliptic reached by the sun at the solstice): via Latin from Greek tropikos, from tropē 'turning', from trepein 'to turn'

tropic in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of tropic in the British & World English dictionary

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