| Library / English Dictionary |
TANGENT
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Ratio of the opposite to the adjacent side of a right-angled triangle
Synonyms:
tan; tangent
Classified under:
Nouns denoting relations between people or things or ideas
Hypernyms ("tangent" is a kind of...):
circular function; trigonometric function (function of an angle expressed as a ratio of the length of the sides of right-angled triangle containing the angle)
Derivation:
tangential (of or relating to or acting along or in the direction of a tangent)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A straight line or plane that touches a curve or curved surface at a point but does not intersect it at that point
Classified under:
Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes
Hypernyms ("tangent" is a kind of...):
straight line (a line traced by a point traveling in a constant direction; a line of zero curvature)
Derivation:
tangency (the state of being tangent; having contact at a single point or along a line without crossing)
tangential (of or relating to or acting along or in the direction of a tangent)
