tangent

[ tan-juhnt ]

/ ˈtæn dʒənt /

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SEE MORE 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.

Nearby words

tangata tiriti, tangata whenua, tange, tangelo, tangency, tangent, tangent galvanometer, tangent line, tangent plane, tangential, tangential motion

Idioms

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 MORE SYNONYMS FOR tangent ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

qua·si-tan·gent, adjective

Can be confused

circumference diameter radius tangent

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

Examples 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

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

Science 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.

Idioms and Phrases with tangent

tangent

see on a tangent.