Tropic of Cancer
n.
The parallel of latitude 23°26′ north of the equator, the northern boundary of the Torrid Zone, and the most northerly latitude at which the sun can shine directly overhead.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
trop•ic
(ˈtrɒp ɪk)n.
1.
a. either of two corresponding parallels of latitude on the terrestrial globe, one (tropic of Cancer) about 23½° N, and the other (tropic of Capricorn) about 23½° S of the equator, being the boundaries of the Torrid Zone.
b. the tropics, the regions lying between and near these parallels of latitude; the Torrid Zone and neighboring regions.
2. either of two circles on the celestial sphere, one lying in the same plane as the tropic of Cancer, the other in the same plane as the tropic of Capricorn.
adj. 3. of or pertaining to the tropics; tropical.
[1350–1400; Middle English < Latin tropicus < Greek tropikós pertaining to a turn =tróp(os) turn + -ikos -ic]
-tropic
a combining form with the meanings “turned toward, with an orientation toward” that specified by the initial element (geotropic), “having an affinity for, affecting” what is specified (lipotropic), “affecting the activity of, maintaining” a specified organ (thyrotropic). Compare –trophic
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
Tropic of Cancer
The parallel of latitude 23°27′ north of the equator. It forms the boundary between the Torrid Zone and the North Temperate Zone.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Tropic of Cancer - a line of latitude about 23 degrees to the north of the equator