tropical

Everyday

1. Tropical describes places near the equator, in the tropics, which are hot all year. tree →
2. Tropical describes the things from such places: tropical fruit, tropical fish, a tropical storm. tree →
3. Tropical weather is hot and humid (damp). tree →

In the lessons

In geography and science, the tropics are the warm belt around the Earth's middle, between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn; tropical rainforests, coral reefs and tropical diseases are studied. «Tropical storm» and «tropical cyclone» (hurricane, typhoon) are powerful storms that form over warm seas. In everyday life: tropical fish in aquariums, tropical fruit like mangoes and pineapples. Phrases: tropical rainforest, tropical island, tropical fish, tropical storm, tropical climate.

Examples

• Mangoes and pineapples are tropical fruits. tree →
• We keep tropical fish in a heated tank. tree →
• Tropical rainforests are hot and wet all year. tree →
• Northern Australia has a tropical climate. tree →
• A tropical storm hit the coast of Florida. tree →
• The tropical island had white sand and palm trees. tree →
• Tropical places usually have a wet season and a dry season instead of four seasons. tree →
• Near by he could see the thicket of raspberry canes, growing tall and close like a tropical jungle, in whose shadow he had played with the Boy on bygone mornings. tree →

Note

Adjective only. From «the tropics». Opposites: polar; between them: temperate. Trap: «tropical» describes where something comes from or the hot climate, not just any warm day — though people joke «it's tropical today».