Tropic of Capricorn

The parallel of latitude 23°26′ south of the equator, the southern boundary of the Torrid Zone, and the most southerly 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.

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

Tropic of Capricorn

The parallel of latitude 23°27′ south of the equator. It forms the boundary between the Torrid Zone and the South 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.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

Tropic of Capricorn - a line of latitude about 23 degrees to the south of the equator

Translations

Tropico del Capricorno

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

We had crossed the tropic of Capricorn, and the Straits of Magellan opened less than seven hundred miles to the south.

View in context

Andrew Smith, who, at the head of his adventurous party, has lately succeeded in passing the Tropic of Capricorn, informs me that, taking into consideration the whole of the southern part of Africa, there can be no doubt of its being a sterile country.

View in context

MP Batshu had asked the minister with regard to the popularity of the Tropic of Capricorn Monument to state whether there was a master plan for the area, saying if that was the case, when would it be implemented.

Tropic of Capricorn master plan on cards

The Sun appears to stand still at the Tropic of Capricorn and then changes direction as it reaches the most southern point as seen from Earth.

Happy Winter Solstice 2018! Traditions, rituals and meanings behind the UK's shortest day of the year; Winter Solstice 2018 is here! Why we celebrate the shortest day of the year

Part of Australia; a The flag is on land in the East straddling misplaced island; or non- the Tropic of Capricorn, which appears to existent imaginary land.

The terrestrial sphere of "the spheres" tapestries--revisited

placed equator, cardinal direction, rotation direction, Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn, rotational axis, or angle features.

Performance-based assessment in the secondary STEM classroom: performance-based assessments provide a vehicle to demonstrate student procedural knowledge as well as higher-order thinking abilities

There have been series on the Indian Ocean, Australia, the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, as well as the Equator.

I'll always try the funny food abroad

The Brisbane to Keppel race takes sailors north past the world's largest sand island and over the Tropic of Capricorn to a warm welcome in Keppel Bay for what is a 348-nautical mile offshore race.

Alive and kicking: the ninth Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race was a trying journey north with Alive taking out the quadrella in a fleet of 29 yachts

The next stop was the point where the Tropic of Capricorn intersects the Stuart Highway -- just enough time to get those ' I was there at the Tropic' pictures.

THE ROAD LESS TAKEN

This is usually assumed to happen only on 21 September, but lying some 150km north of the Tropic of Capricorn, the sun's azimuth crosses 90 degrees before the Tropic date.

Understanding weather not predicting

On this day, the sun's rays directly hit the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. It heralds the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere and the onset of winter in the southern hemisphere.

Longest day of the year tomorrow