Webster's English Dictionary

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tangent

1. tan.gent \-j*nt\ aj [L tangent-, tangens, prp. of tangere to touch; akin 
   to OE Xthaccian to touch gently, stroke 1a: so meeting a curve or surface 
   that all points of intersection in an in terval are coincident {straight 
   line ~ to a curve} 1b1: having a common tangent line at a point {~ curves}  
   1b2: having a common tangent plane at a point {~ surfaces}  2: diverging 
   from an original purpose or course : IRRELEVANT {R@ remarks}tangent n [NL 
   tangent-, tangens, fr. linea tangens tangent line] 1: the trigonometric 
   function that for an acute angle in a right triangle i s the ratio of the 
   side opposite to the side adjacent 2a: a tangent line; specif : a straight 
   line that is the limiting p osition 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 2b: the part of a tangent to a plane curve between the 
   point of tangency an d the x-axis 3: an abrupt change of course : 
   DIGRESSION  4: a small upright flat-ended metal pin at the inner end of a 
   clavichord ke y that strikes the string to produce the tone 5: a straight 
   section of a road or railroad