Tropic
/ˈtrɒp.ɪk/noun
Either of the two parallels of latitude marking the farthest point north or south where the sun can appear directly overhead, or relating to the tropics.
Did you know?Tropic comes from Greek *tropē*, “a turn” or “solstice,” the same root behind *trope* and *trophy*—words that began as ideas of turning, change, and turning the enemy’s defeat into a monument.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*trep-
“to turn, rotate”
Ancient Greek
Greek
τροπή (tropḗ)
“a turn, turning point; the solstice”
Late Latin
Latin
tropicus
“of the solstice; pertaining to the turning of the sun”
Old French
Old French
tropique
“the tropic; the solstice circle”
14th Century
English
tropik / tropic
“the tropic circle; later, pertaining to the tropics”
Modern English
English
tropic
“relating to the regions near the equator or the tropical climate”