Main Entry:

²tangent

Function:

noun

Etymology:

New Latin tangent-, tangens, from linea tangens tangent line

Date:

1594

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 radians2: 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 point3: 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