tangent

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-Indo-European *tag-, *taǵ- (“to touch”). Cognate with Old English þaccian (“to touch lightly, pat, stroke”). More at thack, thwack.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtæn.dʒənt/

Noun

tangent (plural tangents)

1. (geometry) A straight line touching a curve at a single point without crossing it there.
2. (mathematics) 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.
3. A topic nearly unrelated to the main topic, but having a point in common with it.

   I believe we went off onto a tangent when we started talking about monkeys on unicycles at his retirement party.

   • 1928, Lawrence R. Bourne, chapter 1, in Well Tackled!‎:

     “Uncle Barnaby was always father and mother to me,” Benson broke in; then after a pause his mind flew off at a tangent. “Is old Hannah all right—in the will, I mean?”

   • 2009: Stuart Heritage, Hecklerspray, Friday the 22^nd of May in 2009 at 1 o’clock p.m., “Jon & Kate Latest: People You Don’t Know Do Crap You Don’t Care About”

     Jon & Kate Plus 8 is a show based on two facts: (1) Jon and Kate Gosselin have eight children, and (2) the word ‘Kate’ rhymes with the word ‘eight’. One suspects that if Kate were ever to have another child, a shady network executive would urge her to put it in a binbag with a brick and drop it down a well. But this is just a horrifying tangent.

4. A small metal blade by which a clavichord produces sound.

Adjective

tangent (not comparable)

1. (geometry) 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.

See also

• cosine
• non sequitur
• sine
• trigonometry

Etymology

From Latin tangens.

Noun

tangent f (plural tangents)

1. (trigonometry) tangent

Further reading

• “tangent” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Etymology

Ultimately from Latin tangens; cf. German Tangente.

Noun

tangent c (singular definite tangenten, plural indefinite tangenter)

1. (geometry) tangent

   Differentialregning kan fortolkes som forsøget på at bestemme en tangents hældning.

   Differential calculus may be interpreted as the attempt to determine the slope of a tangent.

2. a piano key

References

• “tangent” in Den Danske Ordbog

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin tangens, tangentem.

Adjective

tangent (feminine singular tangente, masculine plural tangents, feminine plural tangentes)

1. (mathematics) tangential
2. borderline

Further reading

• “tangent” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Verb

tangent

1. third-person plural future active indicative of tangō

Etymology

From German Tangente, Tangens, ultimately from Latin tangens.

Noun

tangent m (definite singular tangenten, indefinite plural tangenter, definite plural tangentene)

1. (geometry) a tangent
2. (music) a key (e.g. on a piano)

References

• “tangent” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Etymology

From German Tangente, Tangens, ultimately from Latin tangens.

Noun

tangent m (definite singular tangenten, indefinite plural tangentar, definite plural tangentane)

1. (geometry) a tangent
2. (music) a key (e.g. on a piano)

References

• “tangent” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Etymology

Borrowed from French tangent, Latin tangens, tangentem.

Adjective

tangent m, n (feminine singular tangentă, masculine plural tangenți, feminine and neuter plural tangente)

1. tangent

Etymology

Ultimately from Latin tangens; cf. German Tangente.

Noun

tangent c

1. a key (button on a typewriter, computer keyboard or piano)
2. (mathematics) a tangent