Definition of tangent plane
: the plane through a point of a surface that contains the tangent lines to all the curves on the surface through the same point
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on tangent plane
What made you want to look up tangent plane? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Namesakes Word Quiz
- Which of the following is a fruit named after a Moroccan seaport?
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
Share tangent plane
Time Traveler for tangent plane
The first known use of tangent plane was in 1856
See more words from the same year