Sekirov Dictionary

tangent

/ˈtæn.d͡ʒənt/

noun6

  1. A straight line touching a curve at a single point without crossing it there.
  2. A course suddenly and unexpectedly divergent from one which was previously being followed (especially one embarked on before reaching the end of the previous course).
  3. A new topic of discussion unrelated to the one which came before it, arrived at due to a single (peripheral or trivial) point in common with it.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. A small metal blade in a clavichord that strikes the strings to produce sound.

adjective3

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

verb1

  1. (informal, rare) Synonym of fly off at a tangent (“to digress from a topic”).
forms

tangented · tangenting · tangents

Phrases with tangent

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