User:RobL777

The Wikipedia entry for 'troposphere' contains this sentence in the 2nd paragraph:

"The word troposphere derives from the Greek: tropos for "turning" or "mixing," reflecting the fact that turbulent mixing plays an important role in the troposphere's structure and behavior."

My understanding of the origin of the Greek word 'tropos' is that it similar to the late Latin term 'tropicus' whose origin indicates a turning movement, but no mixing. The 1913 Century Dictionary online shows the origin of the English word 'tropic' from the late Latin (LL) 'tropicus', which meant 'of, or pertaining to the solstice'. It goes on to talk about the sun turning back towards the Northern Hemisphere after it reaches the Tropic of Capricorn on, or around December 21st each year. No mixing of any kind is implied. The Century Dictionary online can be found here. Look up the English word 'tropic' and read about its origins to see what I have talked about above.

I believe that the second half of the sentence I quoted above for the troposphere definition should have the implication of the mixing of atmospheric gases removed from it. The origin of the Greek word 'tropos' does not support this implication, in my opinion. Instead, the turning should be referenced as the turning of the Sun with a citation given. Is the Century Dictionary online reference for the word 'tropic' suitable as a credible citation? What of the fact that 'tropos' is Greek, but 'tropicus' is late Latin? Does anyone know of an authoritative citation for the Greek word 'tropos' other than the Oxford English dictionary, which is a for-pay citation? Please discuss, and help me with my first Wikipedia entry edit. Thank you. RobL777 (talk) 05:47, 31 December 2012 (UTC)