tangent

noun
UK: /ˈtændʒənt/
US: /ˈtændʒənt/

  1. A straight line that touches a curve or surface at only one point.

    1. The circle has a tangent at point P.
    2. The engineer calculated the tangent to the curve for the bridge design.

  2. A completely different line of thought or action.

    1. He went off on a tangent about politics.
    2. The meeting digressed on a tangent unrelated to the main agenda item.

  3. The trigonometric function that is the ratio of the sine to the cosine.

    1. We used the tangent to calculate the height.
    2. The angle's tangent helped determine the slope of the hill accurately.

Synonyms

digression deviation departure oblique
tangent intransitive-verb

  1. To diverge or stray away from the main topic or course.

    1. She tends to tangent during lectures.
    2. The discussion started on budget issues but quickly tangented into personnel matters.
tangent adjective

  1. Touching at only one point.

    1. The circle has a tangent line.
    2. A tangent plane to the sphere was constructed for calculations.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "tangent" in English means: A straight line that touches a curve or surface at only one point., A completely different line of thought or action., The trigonometric function that is the ratio of the sine to the cosine..

The phonetic transcription of "tangent" is /ˈtændʒənt/ in British English and /ˈtændʒənt/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "tangent": digression, deviation, departure, oblique.

Example usage of "tangent": "The circle has a tangent at point P.". More examples on the page.