tangent
English edit
Etymology edit
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.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
tangent (plural tangents)
- (differential geometry) A straight line touching a curve at a single point without crossing it there.
- 1951 May, “British Railways Standard Coaches”, in Railway Magazine, page 327:
- One feature of the body, which is constructed of pressed-steel members, is the contour of the sides. They are in the form of a continuous radius from the bottom side to the cant rail, and to enable flat glass windows to be fitted the side panels are pressed around the window opening, forming a tangent to the curved bodyside.
- Synonym: tangent line
- (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.
- 1928, Lawrence R. Bourne, chapter 1, in Well Tackled![1]:
- “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 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.
- (art) 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.
- (music) A small metal blade in a clavichord that strikes the strings to produce sound.
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Translations edit
in geometry
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in trigonometry
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(art) visual interaction between lines
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Adjective edit
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.
- (rail transport, of track) Straight; not horizontally curved.
- The collision occurred on a two-mile stretch of tangent track.
Derived terms edit
See also edit
Catalan edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Latin tangentem.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
tangent f (plural tangents)
Derived terms edit
Further reading edit
- “tangent” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
Danish edit
Etymology edit
Ultimately from Latin tangēns; cf. German Tangente.
Noun edit
tangent c (singular definite tangenten, plural indefinite tangenter)
- (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.
- piano key
Declension edit
Declension of tangent
| common gender |
Singular | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
| nominative | tangent | tangenten | tangenter | tangenterne |
| genitive | tangents | tangentens | tangenters | tangenternes |
Related terms edit
References edit
- “tangent” in Den Danske Ordbog
French edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Latin tangentem.
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
tangent (feminine tangente, masculine plural tangents, feminine plural tangentes)
Further reading edit
- “tangent”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Latin edit
Pronunciation edit
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈtan.ɡent/, [ˈt̪äŋɡɛn̪t̪]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈtan.d͡ʒent/, [ˈt̪än̠ʲd͡ʒen̪t̪]
Verb edit
tangent
Norwegian Bokmål edit
Etymology edit
From German Tangente, Tangens, ultimately from Latin tangēns.
Noun edit
tangent m (definite singular tangenten, indefinite plural tangenter, definite plural tangentene)
References edit
- “tangent” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk edit
Etymology edit
From German Tangente, Tangens, ultimately from Latin tangēns.
Noun edit
tangent m (definite singular tangenten, indefinite plural tangentar, definite plural tangentane)
References edit
- “tangent” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Romanian edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from French tangent, Latin tangēns, tangentem.
Adjective edit
tangent m or n (feminine singular tangentă, masculine plural tangenți, feminine and neuter plural tangente)
Declension edit
Declension of tangent
| 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 edit
Etymology edit
Ultimately from Latin tangēns; cf. German Tangente.
Noun edit
tangent c
- key (button on a typewriter, computer keyboard or piano)
- (mathematics) tangent
Declension edit
| Declension of tangent | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | |||
| Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
| Nominative | tangent | tangenten | tangenter | tangenterna |
| Genitive | tangents | tangentens | tangenters | tangenternas |