tropical

[trop-i-kuh l for 1–4, 6; troh-pi-kuh l for 5] /ˈtrɒp ɪ kəl for 1–4, 6; ˈtroʊ pɪ kəl for 5/
adjective
1.
pertaining to, characteristic of, occurring in, or inhabiting the tropics, especially the humid tropics:
tropical flowers.
2.
very hot and humid:
a tropical climate.
3.
designed for use in the tropics or in very hot weather (often used in combination):
tropical-weight woolens.
4.
of or pertaining to either or both of the astronomical tropics.
5.
pertaining to, characterized by, or of the nature of a trope or tropes; metaphorical.
noun
6.
tropicals, lightweight clothing, suitable for warm, especially summer weather.
Origin
1520-30; tropic + -al1
Related forms
tropicality, noun
tropically, adverb
hypertropical, adjective
nontropical, adjective
nontropically, adverb
untropical, adjective
untropically, adverb
Examples from the web for tropical
  • The market is now glutted with tropical fruits of all kinds.
  • In this lesson students will learn about different kinds of tropical storms throughout the world.
  • tropical cyclones remain nature's fiercest storms.
  • Every evening, as twilight blankets the tropical world, the air grows thick with disease on the wing.
  • Fruit bats are important seed dispersers in tropical forests.
  • tropical sprue is a condition seen in residents of, or visitors to, tropical areas.
  • Such a system would not aim, as a matter of principle, to stop all tropical deforestation.
  • Most are found in tropical and subtropical ocean waters, but some species live in brackish and even fresh water.
  • tropical accessories on the deck and throughout the garden turned this entry into a personal paradise.
  • Findings in northern regions of preserved hippo predecessors, tropical plankton and pollen from tropical palms support the idea.
British Dictionary definitions for tropical

tropical

/ˈtrɒpɪkəl/
adjective
1.
situated in, used in, characteristic of, or relating to the tropics
2.
(of weather) very hot, esp when humid
3.
(rhetoric) of or relating to a trope
Derived Forms
tropicality, noun
tropically, adverb
Word Origin and History for tropical
adj.

1520s, "pertaining to the celestial tropics," from tropic + -al (1). In reference to the torrid zones of the earth, from 1690s.