tropical

English

Alternative forms

• trop. (abbreviation)

Etymology

From tropic +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

• (all senses except "characterized by tropes"):
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈtɹɒp.ɪ.kəl/

  • Audio (RP)

    (file)

  • Rhymes: -ɒpɪkəl
  • (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈtɹɑ.pɪ.kəl/

  • Audio (GA)

    (file)

  • Rhymes: -ɑpɪkəl
• ("characterized by tropes"):
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈtɹəʊ.pɪ.kəl/, IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃɹɒp.ɪ.kəl/
  • (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈtɹoʊ.pɪ.kəl/
  • Rhymes: -əʊpɪkəl

Adjective

tropical (comparative more tropical, superlative most tropical)

1. Of or pertaining to the tropics, the equatorial region between 23 degrees north and 23 degrees south.
2. From, or similar to, a hot, humid climate.

   tropical fruit    tropical weather

   • 1983, Richard Ellis, The Book of Sharks, Knopf, →ISBN, page 103:

     Whale sharks are found in all the tropical waters of the world. As with many tropical species, an occasional stray wanders into colder waters.

3. (dated) Pertaining to, involving, or of the nature of a trope or tropes; figurative, metaphorical.
   • 1653 (indicated as 1654), Jeremy Taylor, “The Real Presence and Spiritual of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, Proved against the Doctrine of Transubstantiation. Section I. State of the Question.”, in Reginald Heber, editor, The Whole Works of the Right Rev. Jeremy Taylor, D.D. , volume IX, London: Ogle, Duncan, and Co. ; and Richard Priestley, , published 1822, →OCLC, paragraph 8, page 429:

     But we, by the real spiritual presence of Christ, do understand Christ to be present, as the Spirit of God is present in the hearts of the faithful, by blessing and grace; and this is all which we mean besides the tropical and figurative presence.

   • 1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, 6th edition, volumes (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: J Bettenham, for Jonah Bowyer, , published 1727, →OCLC:

     The foundation of all parables is some analogy or similitude between the tropical or allusive part of the parable and the thing intended by it.

4. (mathematics) Pertaining to tropical geometry.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

tropical (plural tropicals)

1. A tropical plant.
   • 1856, “The Horticulturist and Journal of Rural Art and Rural Taste”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)‎, volume 12, page 275:

     The potato, as a mountain tropical plant, is capable of growing in cooler weather than any other tropical except the Nasturtian.

Translations

References

Further reading

• “tropical”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “tropical”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “tropical”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• pictoral, proictal

Catalan

Etymology

From tròpic +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central)
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencian)

Adjective

tropical m or f (masculine and feminine plural tropicals)

1. tropical

Further reading

• “tropical” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

French

Etymology

From tropique +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tʁɔ.pi.kal/

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

tropical (feminine tropicale, masculine plural tropicaux, feminine plural tropicales)

1. (relational) of the tropics; tropical

   forêt tropicale ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

2. (figuratively) scorching

   Synonym: caniculaire

Descendants

• → Romanian: tropical
• → Turkish: tropikal

See also

• équatorial

Further reading

• “tropical”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

Galician

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɾopiˈkal/
• Rhymes: -al
• Hyphenation: tro‧pi‧cal

Adjective

tropical m or f (plural tropicais)

1. tropical

Further reading

• “tropical” in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega, Royal Galician Academy.

Piedmontese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /trupiˈkal/

Adjective

tropical

1. tropical

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -al, -aw
• Hyphenation: tro‧pi‧cal

Adjective

tropical m or f (plural tropicais)

1. tropical (of or relating to the tropics)
2. tropical (from or similar to a hod humid climate)

Further reading

• “tropical” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French tropical. By surface analysis, tropic +‎ -al.

Adjective

tropical m or n (feminine singular tropicală, masculine plural tropicali, feminine and neuter plural tropicale)

1. tropical

Declension

Spanish

Etymology

From trópico +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɾopiˈkal/
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: tro‧pi‧cal

Adjective

tropical m or f (masculine and feminine plural tropicales)

1. tropical

Derived terms

Further reading

• “tropical”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014