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tangent

Syllabification: (tan·gent)
Pronunciation: /ˈtanjənt/

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Definition of tangent

noun

  • 1a straight line or plane that touches a curve or curved surface at a point, but if extended does not cross it at that point.
  • 2a completely different line of thought or action:he quickly went off on a tangent about wrestling
  • 3 Mathematics the trigonometric function that is equal to the ratio of the sides (other than the hypotenuse) opposite and adjacent to an angle in a right triangle.

adjective

  • (of a line or plane) touching, but not intersecting, a curve or curved surface.

Derivatives

tangency

Pronunciation: /-jənsē/

noun

Origin:

late 16th century (tangent (sense 3 of the noun) and as an adjective): from Latin tangent- 'touching', from the verb tangere

tangent in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of tangent in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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