tangent

CEFRB2

/ˈtæn.d͡ʒənt/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A line or idea that touches or moves away from a main subject.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A function of an angle that gives the ratio of the sine to the cosine, in either the real or complex numbers. Symbols: tan, tg.

Examples

  • The line s is tangent to the circumference described.

  • "Eh? Is the tangent cosine divided by sine?" "Other way round!"

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
3
Synonyms
2

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A topic nearly unrelated to the main topic, but having a point in common with it.

  2. A straight line touching a curve at a single point without crossing it there.

  3. A visual interaction between two or more lines or edges that creates a perceived relationship between them, often in a way that the artist did not intend.

More examples

In context

  • Tom went off on a tangent.

  • I believe we went off onto a tangent when we started talking about monkeys on unicycles at his retirement party.

  • The collision occurred on a two-mile stretch of tangent track.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

A line that touches a circle at exactly one point is called a blank.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

Borrowed from Latin tangentem, the accusative of tangēns (“touching”) (in the phrase līnea tangēns (“a touching line”)), the present participle of the verb tangō (“touch”, verb), from Proto-Italic *tangō, from Proto-Indo-European *teh₂g- (“to touch”). Cognate with Old English þaccian (“to touch lightly, pat, stroke”). More at thack, thwack.