secant

[ see-kant, -kuh nt ]

/ ˈsi kænt, -kənt /

noun

Geometry. an intersecting line, especially one intersecting a curve at two or more points.

Trigonometry.

(in a right triangle) the ratio of the hypotenuse to the side adjacent to a given angle.
(originally) a line from the center of a circle through one extremity of an arc to the tangent from the other extremity.
the ratio of the length of this line to that of the radius of the circle; the reciprocal of the cosine of a given angle or arc. Abbreviation: sec

adjective

cutting or intersecting, as one line or surface in relation to another.

Nearby words

Origin of secant

1585–95; < Latin secant- (stem of secāns, present participle of secāre to cut), equivalent to sec- verb stem (see saw¹) + -ant- -ant

Related formsse·cant·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for secant

The whole secret of avoiding shipwreck is to try and pass from the secant to the tangent.
The Man Who Laughs|Victor Hugo
I say they are equall in the alterne angles of the secant and touch line oey, and oeu.
The Way To Geometry|Peter Ramus
Secant equals one over cosine—um-m-m-m—one point oh three five.
Skylark Three|Edward Elmer Smith
Every ray through S1 or S2 which is not a secant determines one of them.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 6|Various

The complement of the logarithm of a sine, tangent, or secant.
The Sailor's Word-Book|William Henry Smyth

British Dictionary definitions for secant

secant

/ (ˈsiːkənt) /

noun

(of an angle) a trigonometric function that in a right-angled triangle is the ratio of the length of the hypotenuse to that of the adjacent side; the reciprocal of cosineAbbreviation: sec

a line that intersects a curve

Derived Formssecantly, adverb

Word Origin for secant

C16: from Latin secāre to cut

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

Word Origin and History for secant

secant

1590s, from Latin secantem (nominative secans) "a cutting," present participle of secare "to cut" (see section (n.)). First used by Danish mathematician Thomas Fincke in "Geometria Rotundi" (1583).

Science definitions for secant

secant

[ sē′kănt′ ]

A straight line or ray that intersects a curve, especially a circle, at two or more points.

The ratio of the length of the hypotenuse in a right triangle to the side adjacent to an acute angle. The secant is the inverse of the cosine.

The reciprocal of 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 secant of an angle whose measure in radians is equal to x.