Etymology

tropic

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Today it means: Either of the two parallels of latitude 23°26′ north and south of the equator; the farthest points at which the sun can be directly overhead; the boundaries of the torrid zone or tropics. Full definition →

Late Latin tropicus ← Ancient Greek τροπικός
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The story

  1. Ancient Greek · derived fromτροπικός“of or pertaining to a turn or change; or the solstice; or a trope or figure; tropic; tropical; etc.”
  2. Late Latin · derived fromtropicus“of or pertaining to the solstice, as a noun, one of the tropics”
  3. English todaytropic

From Late Latin tropicus (“of or pertaining to the solstice, as a noun, one of the tropics”), from Ancient Greek τροπικός (tropikós, “of or pertaining to a turn or change; or the solstice; or a trope or figure; tropic; tropical; etc.”), from τροπή (tropḗ, “turn; solstice; trope”).

Words from the same roots

Ancient Greekτροπικός all →

-tropic

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.