tangent

[ tan-juhnt ]

/ ˈtæn dʒənt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR tangent ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

in immediate physical contact; touching.

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.

tangential (def. 3).

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. Abbreviation: 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.

Idioms for tangent

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.

Origin of tangent

1585–90; <Latin tangent- (stem of tangēns, present participle of tangere to touch) in phrase līnea tangēns touching line; see -ent

SYNONYMS FOR tangent

1 meeting, abutting.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR tangent ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM tangent

quasi-tangent, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH tangent

circumference, diameter, radius, tangent

Words nearby tangent

tangata tiriti, tangata whenua, Tange, tangelo, tangency, tangent, tangent galvanometer, tangential, tangentiality, tangential motion, tangent line

Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for tangent

Not every tangent Jacobson follows is particularly illuminating, as he is the first to admit.
Great New Reads|The Daily Beast|October 9, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Tangent screws and bearings should be frequently inspected for dust or grit.
Visual Signaling|Signal Corps United States Army
This beautiful law is usually thus expressed: The index of refraction of any substance is the tangent of its polarizing angle.
Six Lectures on Light|John Tyndall
With another fierce yell the poor maniac—for such he had become—turned off at a tangent, and ran far away over the plains.
The Red Man's Revenge|R.M. Ballantyne

Two guns were for a time in the hands of the Boers, who, I believe, removed the tangent sights.
In the Ranks of the C.I.V.|Erskine Childers
Gregory threw the wheel in the opposite direction and struck out at a tangent toward the sea.
El Diablo|Brayton Norton

British Dictionary definitions for tangent

tangent

/ (ˈtændʒənt) /

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 cosineAbbreviation: 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 tangent on a completely different or divergent course, esp of thoughtto go off at a tangent

adjective

of or involving a tangent
touching at a single point

touching

almost irrelevant

Derived forms of tangent

tangency, noun

Word Origin for tangent

C16: from Latin phrase līnea tangēns the touching line, from tangere to touch

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with tangent

tangent

see on a tangent.

Scientific definitions for tangent

tangent

[ tăn′jənt ]

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.

单词	tangent
释义	tangent [ tan-juhnt ] / ˈtæn dʒənt / SEE SYNONYMS FOR tangent ON THESAURUS.COM adjective in immediate physical contact; touching. 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. tangential (def. 3). 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. Abbreviation: 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. Idioms for tangent 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. Origin of tangent 1585–90; <Latin tangent- (stem of tangēns, present participle of tangere to touch) in phrase līnea tangēns touching line; see -ent SYNONYMS FOR tangent 1 meeting, abutting. SEE SYNONYMS FOR tangent ON THESAURUS.COM OTHER WORDS FROM tangent quasi-tangent, adjective WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH tangent circumference, diameter, radius, tangent Words nearby tangent tangata tiriti, tangata whenua, Tange, tangelo, tangency, tangent, tangent galvanometer, tangential, tangentiality, tangential motion, tangent line Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020 Example sentences from the Web for tangent Not every tangent Jacobson follows is particularly illuminating, as he is the first to admit. Great New Reads\|The Daily Beast\|October 9, 2010\|DAILY BEAST Tangent screws and bearings should be frequently inspected for dust or grit. Visual Signaling\|Signal Corps United States Army This beautiful law is usually thus expressed: The index of refraction of any substance is the tangent of its polarizing angle. Six Lectures on Light\|John Tyndall With another fierce yell the poor maniac—for such he had become—turned off at a tangent, and ran far away over the plains. The Red Man's Revenge\|R.M. Ballantyne Two guns were for a time in the hands of the Boers, who, I believe, removed the tangent sights. In the Ranks of the C.I.V.\|Erskine Childers Gregory threw the wheel in the opposite direction and struck out at a tangent toward the sea. El Diablo\|Brayton Norton British Dictionary definitions for tangent tangent / (ˈtændʒənt) / 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 cosineAbbreviation: 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 tangent on a completely different or divergent course, esp of thoughtto go off at a tangent adjective of or involving a tangent touching at a single point touching almost irrelevant Derived forms of tangent tangency, noun Word Origin for tangent C16: from Latin phrase līnea tangēns the touching line, from tangere to touch Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Idioms and Phrases with tangent tangent see on a tangent. The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Words related to tangent contiguous, tangential Scientific definitions for tangent tangent [ tăn′jənt ] 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. The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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tangent

adjective

noun

Idioms for tangent

Origin of tangent

SYNONYMS FOR tangent

OTHER WORDS FROM tangent

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH tangent

Words nearby tangent

Example sentences from the Web for tangent

British Dictionary definitions for tangent

noun

adjective

Derived forms of tangent

Word Origin for tangent

Idioms and Phrases with tangent

Words related to tangent

Scientific definitions for tangent