tangent
English
![](../I/m/Tangent.png)
![](../I/m/Tan.svg.png)
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
- enPR: tăn'jənt, IPA(key): /ˈtæn.dʒənt/
Noun
tangent (plural tangents)
- (geometry) A straight line touching a curve at a single point without crossing it there.
- (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.
- 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.
- 2009: Stuart Heritage, Hecklerspray, Friday the 22nd 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.
- A small metal blade by which a clavichord produces sound.
Synonyms
- (straight line): tangent line
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
|
|
|
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Adjective
tangent (not comparable)
- (geometry) Touching a curve at a single point but not crossing it at that point.
- Of a topic, only loosely related to a main topic.
Catalan
Pronunciation
Derived terms
Further reading
- “tangent” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
Danish
Declension
common gender |
Singular | Plural | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
nominative | tangent | tangenten | tangenter | tangenterne |
genitive | tangents | tangentens | tangenters | tangenternes |
French
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin tangens, tangentem.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /tɑ̃.ʒɑ̃/
Adjective
tangent (feminine singular tangente, masculine plural tangents, feminine plural tangentes)
Further reading
- “tangent” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
Latin
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈtan.ɡent/, [ˈtaŋ.ɡɛnt]
Norwegian Bokmål
Noun
tangent m (definite singular tangenten, indefinite plural tangenter, definite plural tangentene)
Norwegian Nynorsk
Noun
tangent m (definite singular tangenten, indefinite plural tangentar, definite plural tangentane)
Romanian
Etymology
Borrowed from French tangent, Latin tangens, tangentem.
Adjective
tangent m or n (feminine singular tangentă, masculine plural tangenți, feminine and neuter plural tangente)
Declension
singular | plural | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
masculine | neuter | feminine | masculine | neuter | feminine | ||
nominative/ accusative |
indefinite | tangent | tangentă | tangenți | tangente | ||
definite | tangentul | tangenta | tangenții | tangentele | |||
genitive/ dative |
indefinite | tangent | tangente | tangenți | tangente | ||
definite | tangentului | tangentei | tangenților | tangentelor |
Swedish
Declension
Declension of tangent | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | |||
Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
Nominative | tangent | tangenten | tangenter | tangenterna |
Genitive | tangents | tangentens | tangenters | tangenternas |