The AI-powered English dictionary
plural tangents
(differential geometry) A straight line touching a curve at a single point without crossing it there. examples
(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. examples
A topic nearly unrelated to the main topic, but having a point in common with it. quotations examples
“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?”
1928, Lawrence R. Bourne, chapter 1, in Well Tackled!
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.
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”
(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. examples
(music) A small metal blade in a clavichord that strikes the strings to produce sound. examples
not comparable
(geometry) Touching a curve at a single point but not crossing it at that point. examples
Of a topic, only loosely related to a main topic. examples
(rail transport, of track) Straight; not horizontally curved. examples