tangent

/ˈtændʒənt/
adjective
  1. Relating to or along a tangent; touching a curve or surface at a single point.
    • We studied the tangent direction of the curve at that point.
    • The tangent line barely grazes the circle.
    • The ball followed a tangent path after hitting the curved wall.
  2. Departing from the main topic; digressive.
    • His tangent remark confused everyone in the room.
    • She made a tangent observation that had little to do with the discussion.
    • The article included several tangent comments that distracted from the main argument.
Antonyms
noun
  1. A completely different line of thought or action; a digression.
    • His speech started on topic but quickly flew off on a tangent.
    • I tried to stay focused, but my mind kept going off on a tangent.
    • During the meeting, she went off on a tangent about her vacation plans.
  2. In geometry, a straight line that touches a curve at a single point without crossing it.
    • To find the slope of the curve at that point, you need to draw the tangent.
    • The tangent touches the parabola at exactly one point.
    • The teacher drew a tangent to the circle on the board.
  3. In trigonometry, the ratio of the opposite side to the adjacent side in a right triangle.
    • Use the tangent function to find the angle of elevation.
    • She calculated the tangent of the angle to solve the problem.
    • The tangent of 45 degrees is 1.
What does "tangent" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean