Tt: Tangent

tangent (tnjnt)

1. A line, curve, or surface touching but not intersecting another.

2. The ratio of the length of the side opposite an acute angle in a right triangle to the side adjacent to the angle. The tangent of an angle is equal to the sine of the angle divided by the cosine of the angle.

3. The ratio of the ordinate to the abscissa of the endpoint of an arc of a unit circle centered at the origin of a Cartesian coordinate system, the arc being of length x and measured counterclockwise from the point (1, 0) if x is positive or clockwise if x is negative.

4. A function of a number x, equal to the tangent of an angle whose measure in radians is equal to x.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Noun	1.	tangent - a straight line or plane that touches a curve or curved surface at a point but does not intersect it at that point straight line - a line traced by a point traveling in a constant direction; a line of zero curvature; "the shortest distance between two points is a straight line"
	2.	tangent - ratio of the opposite to the adjacent side of a right-angled triangle tan circular function, trigonometric function - function of an angle expressed as a ratio of the length of the sides of right-angled triangle containing the angle

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

Then I tossed him a Yorker which he missed and it went off at a tangent as soon as it had reached the tree.
The Little White Bird by Barrie, James Matthew