tangent

Meanings

Plural: tangents

Noun

a straight line or plane that touches a curve or curved surface at a point but does not intersect it at that point
ratio of the opposite to the adjacent side of a right-angled triangle
A straight line touching a curve at a single point without crossing it there.
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.
A topic nearly unrelated to the main topic, but having a point in common with it.
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.
A small metal blade in a clavichord that strikes the strings to produce sound.

Adj

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.

Origin / Etymology

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.

Synonyms

tan, tangent line

Scrabble Score: 8

tangent is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
tangent is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
tangent is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 11

tangent is a valid Words With Friends word