- Tropic of Cancer
- Tropic Trop"ic, n. [F. tropique, L. tropicus of or belonging
to a turn, i. e., of the sun, Gr. ? of the solstice, ? (sc.
?) the tropic or solstice, fr. ? to turn. See {Trope}.]
1. (Astron.) One of the two small circles of the celestial
sphere, situated on each side of the equator, at a
distance of 23[deg] 28[min], and parallel to it, which the
sun just reaches at its greatest declination north or
south, and from which it turns again toward the equator,
the northern circle being called the {Tropic of Cancer},
and the southern the {Tropic of Capricorn}, from the names
of the two signs at which they touch the ecliptic.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Geog.) (a) One of the two parallels of terrestrial latitude corresponding to the celestial tropics, and called by the same names. (b) pl. The region lying between these parallels of latitude, or near them on either side. [1913 Webster]
The brilliant flowers of the tropics bloom from the windows of the greenhouse and the saloon. --Bancroft. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
