tangent
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About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.1tan·gent
adjective \ˈtan-jənt\Definition of TANGENT
1
a : meeting a curve or surface in a single point if a sufficiently small interval is considered <straight line tangent to a curve> b (1) : having a common tangent line at a point <tangent curves> (2) : having a common tangent plane at a point <tangent surfaces>
2
: diverging from an original purpose or course : irrelevant <tangent remarks>
See Origin of TANGENT
Latin tangent-, tangens, present participle of tangere to touch; perhaps akin to Old English thaccian to touch gently, stroke
First Known Use: 1594
Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms
Rhymes with TANGENT
2tangent
nounDefinition of TANGENT
1
a : the trigonometric function that for an acute angle is the ratio between the leg opposite to the angle when it is considered part of a right triangle and the leg adjacent b : a trigonometric function that is equal to the sine divided by the cosine for all real numbers θ for which the cosine is not equal to zero and is exactly equal to the tangent of an angle of measure θ in radians
2
: a line that is tangent; specifically : a straight line that is the limiting position of a secant of a curve through a fixed point and a variable point on the curve as the variable point approaches the fixed point
3
: an abrupt change of course : digression <the speaker went off on a tangent>
4
: a small upright flat-ended metal pin at the inner end of a clavichord key that strikes the string to produce the tone
Examples of TANGENT
- <in the middle of her description of her dog's symptoms, she went off on a tangent about its cute behavior>
Origin of TANGENT
New Latin tangent-, tangens, from linea tangens tangent line
First Known Use: 1594
Related to TANGENT
- Synonyms
- aside, digression, divagation, excursion
Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms
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