tropical

B1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈtɹɑ.pɪ.kəl/ UK /ˈtɹɒp.ɪ.kəl/ See IPA manual

Freq #8589

Meanings

1

adj
Belonging to or coming from the hot, wet regions near the equator.

We spent our holiday on a tropical island.
2

adj
Very hot and humid, like the weather near the equator.

We've had a lot of tropical nights this summer.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · belonging to or coming from... tropic

Word family

Forms tropically

Derived forms afrotropicalamphitropicalantitropicalboreotropicalcircumtropicalextratropicalintertropicalintratropicalisotropicaljuxtatropicalneotropicalnon-tropical

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

tropical island
An island located in or near the tropics, typically warm, humid, and lush

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From tropic + -al.

*trep- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# tropical

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈtɹɑ.pɪ.kəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈtɹɒp.ɪ.kəl/
**Frequency rank:** 8589

## Meanings
1. Belonging to or coming from the hot, wet regions near the equator.
2. Very hot and humid, like the weather near the equator.

## Examples
- We spent our holiday on a tropical island.
- We've had a lot of tropical nights this summer.

## Derived Forms
- afrotropical
- amphitropical
- antitropical
- boreotropical
- circumtropical
- extratropical
- intertropical
- intratropical
- isotropical
- juxtatropical
- neotropical
- non-tropical

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *trep-

## Etymology
From tropic + -al.

## AI Etymology
Tropical is from tropic + -al. The historical line also includes Proto-Indo-European *trep-. The surface analysis is tropic + -al. In present-day use, it can mean belonging to or coming from the hot, wet regions near the equator, or very hot and humid, like the weather near the equator. Derived formations include afrotropical, amphitropical, antitropical, boreotropical, circumtropical, extratropical, intertropical, intratropical.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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