tangent

A straight line tangent to a curve

Meanings

Noun

Adjective

  • Touching a curve at a single point but not crossing it at that point.
  • Of a topic, only loosely related to a main topic.
  • Straight; not horizontally curved.

Related

Similar words

  • tangent line

Origin

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

Modern English dictionary

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