tangent

1 of 2

noun

tan·​gent ˈtan-jənt How to pronounce tangent (audio)
1
: an abrupt change of course : digression
the speaker went off on a tangent
2
a
: the trigonometric function that for an acute angle is the ratio between the leg opposite to the angle when it is considered part of a right triangle and the leg adjacent
b
: a trigonometric function that is equal to the sine divided by the cosine for all real numbers θ for which the cosine is not equal to zero and is exactly equal to the tangent of an angle of measure θ in radians
3
: a line that is tangent
specifically : a straight line that is the limiting position of a secant of a curve through a fixed point and a variable point on the curve as the variable point approaches the fixed point
4
: a small upright flat-ended metal pin at the inner end of a clavichord key that strikes the string to produce the tone

tangent

2 of 2

adjective

1
a
: meeting a curve or surface in a single point if a sufficiently small interval is considered
straight line tangent to a curve
b(1)
: having a common tangent line at a point
tangent curves
(2)
: having a common tangent plane at a point
tangent surfaces
2
: diverging from an original purpose or course : irrelevant
tangent remarks

Examples of tangent in a Sentence

Noun in the middle of her description of her dog's symptoms, she went off on a tangent about its cute behavior
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Every so often, the movie throws in an oddball novelty, a quirky touch or ludicrous tangent designed for laughs. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2024 Trump has mixed up words, names, places and timelines in his remarks on the campaign trail and in interviews, and routinely goes on strange tangents in the midst of longer and longer stump speeches. Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2024
Adjective
By 1643, René Descartes had discovered a simple relationship between the curvatures of any four circles that are tangent to each other. Quanta Magazine, 10 Aug. 2023 That leaves us with the tangent function. Rhett Allain, Wired, 14 Mar. 2022 See all Example Sentences for tangent 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tangent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

New Latin tangent-, tangens, from linea tangens tangent line

Adjective

Latin tangent-, tangens, present participle of tangere to touch; perhaps akin to Old English thaccian to touch gently, stroke

First Known Use

Noun

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Adjective

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of tangent was in 1594

Dictionary Entries Near tangent

Cite this Entry

“Tangent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tangent. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

tangent

1 of 2 adjective
tan·​gent ˈtan-jənt How to pronounce tangent (audio)
: touching a curve or surface at only one point
a straight line tangent to a circle

tangent

2 of 2 noun
1
: a trigonometric function that for an acute angle in a right triangle is the ratio of the side opposite the angle to the side next to it
2
: a line that is tangent
3
: a sudden change of course
the speaker went off on a tangent
tangential
tan-ˈjen-chəl
adjective
tangentially
-ˈjench-(ə-)lē
adverb
Etymology

Adjective

from Latin tangent-, tangens "touching," from tangere "to touch" — related to contact, tactile, tangible

More from Merriam-Webster on tangent

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