tangent

²tangent

noun

Definition 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

1. <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

Related Words: excursus, parenthesis; rambling; circuitousness, circularity, circumlocution, diffuseness, prolixity, verbosity, windiness, wordiness

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Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

abscissa, denominator, divisor, equilateral, exponent, hypotenuse, logarithm, oblique, radii, rhomb