/ 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)

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