The Collaborative International Dictionary
Tropic \Trop"ic\, n. [F. tropique, L. tropicus of or belonging to a turn, i. e., of the sun, Gr. ? of the solstice, ? (sc. ?) the tropic or solstice, fr. ? to turn. See Trope.]
(Astron.) One of the two small circles of the celestial sphere, situated on each side of the equator, at a distance of 23[deg] 28[min], and parallel to it, which the sun just reaches at its greatest declination north or south, and from which it turns again toward the equator, the northern circle being called the Tropic of Cancer, and the southern the Tropic of Capricorn, from the names of the two signs at which they touch the ecliptic.
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(Geog.)
One of the two parallels of terrestrial latitude corresponding to the celestial tropics, and called by the same names.
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pl. The region lying between these parallels of latitude, or near them on either side.
The brilliant flowers of the tropics bloom from the windows of the greenhouse and the saloon.
--Bancroft.
Cancer \Can"cer\, n. [L. cancer, cancri, crab, ulcer, a sign of the zodiac; akin to Gr. karki`nos, Skr. karka[.t]a crab, and prob. Skr. karkara hard, the crab being named from its hard shell. Cf. Canner, Chancre.]
(Zo["o]l.) A genus of decapod Crustacea, including some of the most common shore crabs of Europe and North America, as the rock crab, Jonah crab, etc. See Crab.
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(Astron.)
The fourth of the twelve signs of the zodiac. The first point is the northern limit of the sun's course in summer; hence, the sign of the summer solstice. See Tropic.
A northern constellation between Gemini and Leo.
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(Med.) Formerly, any malignant growth, esp. one attended with great pain and ulceration, with cachexia and progressive emaciation. It was so called, perhaps, from the great veins which surround it, compared by the ancients to the claws of a crab. The term is now restricted to such a growth made up of aggregations of epithelial cells, either without support or embedded in the meshes of a trabecular framework.
Note: Four kinds of cancers are recognized: (1) Epithelial cancer, or Epithelioma, in which there is no trabecular framework. See Epithelioma. (2) Scirrhous cancer, or Hard cancer, in which the framework predominates, and the tumor is of hard consistence and slow growth. (3) Encephaloid cancer, Medullary cancer, or Soft cancer, in which the cellular element predominates, and the tumor is soft, grows rapidy, and often ulcerates. (4) Colloid cancer, in which the cancerous structure becomes gelatinous. The last three varieties are also called carcinoma.
Cancer cells, cells once believed to be peculiar to cancers, but now know to be epithelial cells differing in no respect from those found elsewhere in the body, and distinguished only by peculiarity of location and grouping.
Cancer root (Bot.), the name of several low plants, mostly parasitic on roots, as the beech drops, the squawroot, etc.
Tropic of Cancer. See Tropic.
Wikipedia
The Tropic of Cancer, also referred to as the Northern Tropic, is the most northerly circle of latitude on the Earth at which the Sun may appear directly overhead at its culmination. This event occurs once per year, at the time of the Northern solstice, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun to its maximum extent. As of , it lies at north of the Equator.
Its Southern Hemisphere counterpart, marking the most southerly position at which the Sun may appear directly overhead, is the Tropic of Capricorn. These tropics are two of the five major degree measures or major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth, besides the Arctic and Antarctic Circles and the Equator. The positions of these circles of latitude (relative to the Equator) are dictated by the tilt of the Earth's axis of rotation relative to the plane of its orbit.
Tropic of Cancer is a BBC television documentary presented by Simon Reeve. It was first broadcast on BBC Two in 2010. It follows his previous series Equator and Tropic of Capricorn.
The Tropic of Cancer is the most northerly circle of latitude of the Earth's tropics region.
Tropic of Cancer may also refer to:
- Tropic of Cancer (novel), Henry Miller novel
- Tropic of Cancer (film), 1970 film based on the Henry Miller novel
- Tropic of Cancer (TV series), BBC TV series
Tropic of Cancer is a novel by Henry Miller that has been described as "notorious for its candid sexuality" and as responsible for the "free speech that we now take for granted in literature". It was first published in 1934 by the Obelisk Press in Paris, France, but this edition was banned in the United States. Its publication in 1961 in the U.S. by Grove Press led to obscenity trials that tested American laws on pornography in the early 1960s. In 1964, the U.S. Supreme Court declared the book non-obscene. It is regarded as an important work of 20th-century literature.
Tropic of Cancer is a 1970 American drama film directed by Joseph Strick and written by Betty Botley and Joseph Strick. It is based on Henry Miller's autobiographical novel Tropic of Cancer. The film stars Rip Torn, James T. Callahan, David Baur, Laurence Lignères, Phil Brown and Dominique Delpierre. The film was released on February 27, 1970, by Paramount Pictures.
Filming took place on location in Paris, produced by Joseph Strick with some help from the author, whose persona was portrayed by Rip Torn and his wife Mona by Ellen Burstyn. The novel had provided a test for American laws on pornography in the early 1960s, and the film was rated X in the United States, which was later changed to an NC-17 rating. In the UK the film was refused a theatrical 'X' certificate by the BBFC. Strick had previously adapted other works of literature - Jean Genet's The Balcony and James Joyce's Ulysses.
Usage examples of "tropic of cancer".
From the great river to the tropic of Cancer, the provinces of China were subdued and civilized by the emperors of the North.
He may impress a juster image of the greatness of Rome, by observing that the empire was above two thousand miles in breadth, from the wall of Antoninus and the northern limits of Dacia, to Mount Atlas and the tropic of Cancer.
The navigation of the Nile from Alexandria to Syene, under the tropic of Cancer, required, as it was against the stream, ten days more.
She made rapid progress, and passed the Tropic of Cancer on the second of September at 5 A.
It seemed to go at random, as if hesitating as to which road it should follow, but we never passed the Tropic of Cancer.
He sat there entranced, facing away from the island because the sun was now over the Tropic of Cancer and the light came from the north.
The wind stood so fair and steady from the moment we cleared the Bay, that I could not bear not to make the most of it, and indeed we picked up the north-east Trades far higher than I expected and so cut the tropic of Cancer in twenty-six days, counting our tedious time in the Channel and our lying-to.
And now we shot in inky darkness through the scream of insects, and the great, rank, almost rotten smell descended, and we remembered and realized that the map indicated just after Gregoria the beginning of the Tropic of Cancer.
But they were nearly in the Tropics: the imaginary line in the heavens marking the Tropic of Cancer was almost overhead.
They also came to resemble sailormen in appearance, since one hour and forty minutes after the Boadicea had passed under the tropic of Cancer the carpenter's mate banged two brass nails into the deck, exactly twelve yards apart: twelve yards of duck, needles and thread were served out to each man, together with sennet, and they were desired to make themselves hot weather frocks, trousers and broad- brimmed hats.