Main Entry:

¹tan·gent

Pronunciation:

\ˈtan-jənt\

Function:

adjective

Etymology:

Latin tangent-, tangens, present participle of tangere to touch; perhaps akin to Old English thaccian to touch gently, stroke

Date:

1594

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>