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tangent
[ tan-juhnt ]
adjective
- in immediate physical contact; touching.
Synonyms:
- Geometry.
- touching at a single point, as a tangent in relation to a curve or surface.
- in contact along a single line or element, as a plane with a cylinder.
noun
- Geometry. a line or a plane that touches a curve or a surface at a point so that it is closer to the curve in the vicinity of the point than any other line or plane drawn through the point.
- Trigonometry.
- (in a right triangle) the ratio of the side opposite a given angle to the side adjacent to the angle.
- Also called tan. (of an angle) a trigonometric function equal to the ratio of the ordinate of the end point of the arc to the abscissa of this end point, the origin being at the center of the circle on which the arc lies and the initial point of the arc being on the x-axis. : tg, tgn
- (originally) a straight line perpendicular to the radius of a circle at one end of an arc and extending from this point to the produced radius which cuts off the arc at its other end.
- the upright metal blade, fastened on the inner end of a clavichord key, that rises and strikes the string when the outer end of the key is depressed.
tangent
/ ˈæԻəԳ /
noun
- a geometric line, curve, plane, or curved surface that touches another curve or surface at one point but does not intersect it
- (of an angle) a trigonometric function that in a right-angled triangle is the ratio of the length of the opposite side to that of the adjacent side; the ratio of sine to cosine tan
- the straight part on a survey line between curves
- music a part of the action of a clavichord consisting of a small piece of metal that strikes the string to produce a note
- on a tangent or at a tangenton a completely different or divergent course, esp of thought
to go off at a tangent
adjective
- of or involving a tangent
- touching at a single point
- touching
- almost irrelevant
tangent
/ ă′əԳ /
- A line, curve, or surface touching but not intersecting another.
- The ratio of the length of the side opposite an acute angle in a right triangle to the side adjacent to the angle. The tangent of an angle is equal to the sine of the angle divided by the cosine of the angle.
- The ratio of the ordinate to the abscissa of the endpoint of an arc of a unit circle centered at the origin of a Cartesian coordinate system, the arc being of length x and measured counterclockwise from the point (1, 0) if x is positive or clockwise if x is negative.
- A function of a number x, equal to the tangent of an angle whose measure in radians is equal to x.
Derived Forms
- ˈٲԲԳ, noun
Other yvlog Forms
- ܲȴ-ٲgԳ adjective
yvlog History and Origins
Origin of tangent1
yvlog History and Origins
Origin of tangent1
Idioms and Phrases
- off on / at a tangent, digressing suddenly from one course of action or thought and turning to another:
The speaker flew off on a tangent.
More idioms and phrases containing tangent
see on a tangent .Example Sentences
I didn’t have the good sense to note the context of my favorite opening tangents, or what day a particularly goofy segment aired.
In Ireland, the stories are almost never simple, and tend to involve seemingly irrelevant tangents and extended detours into the past.
But even as he veered into tangents and grievances, he continued to present himself as a threat to the establishment.
Woolley said such tangents are the last thing a traditional campaign wants, but they somehow resonate with Trump’s base and may help “get out the vote of his people,” which is what he wants.
It’s worth noting that Coelen offered this perspective unasked, and as a tangent to a conversation about the relationship “Love Is Blind” participants have to broader social and political conversations simmering throughout American culture.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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