Definition
In math, a tangent is a straight line that touches a curve at exactly one point without crossing it nearby. In everyday speech, going off on a tangent means suddenly talking about something only loosely related to the main topic.
Etymology
It comes from Latin 'tangens', the present participle of 'tangere' meaning 'to touch'. Mathematicians used it for a line that just 'touches' a curve.
Kelly Says
The math meaning and the conversation meaning are actually linked: a tangent line just brushes a circle, and a conversational tangent just brushes the main topic before heading off on its own path. The same Latin root 'tangere' also gives us 'tactile' and 'tangent’s cousin, 'tangent' in trigonometry.
Translations
BNবাংলা
স্পর্শক
shpor-shok
CACatalà
tangente
tan-jen-teh
CSČeština
tangenta
tan-gen-ta
DEDeutsch
Tangente
tan-gen-teh
ELΕλληνικά
tangens
tan-gens
ESEspañol
tangente
tan-hen-teh
FISuomi
tangentti
tan-gen-tti
FRFrançais
tangente
tan-zhen-t
GUGU
स्पर्शरेखा
spar-sha-rekh-ah
HEעברית
styczית
sti-ch-yit
HIहिन्दी
स्पर्शरेखा
sparsh-rekh-ah
HUMagyar
tangens
tan-gens
IDBahasa Indonesia
sentuhan
sen-too-han
ITItaliano
tangente
tan-jen-teh
KKKK
теңдестік
ten-des-tik
MRMR
स्पर्शरेखा
spar-sha-rekh-ah
MSBahasa Melayu
sentuhan
sen-too-han
NLNederlands
raaklijn
raak-lijn
PAPA
स्पर्शरेखा
spar-sha-rekh-ah
PLPolski
styczna
stys-chna
PTPortuguês
tangente
tan-jen-teh
RORomână
tangenta
tan-jen-ta
RUРусский
тангент
tang-gent
SVSvenska
tangens
tan-gens
SWKiswahili
tangenti
tan-jen-ti
TAதமிழ்
தொடுகோடு
to-du-ko-du
TEతెలుగు
స్పర్శరేఖ
spar-sha-re-kha
THไทย
เส้นสัมผัส
seen-sam-phat
UKУкраїнська
дотична
do-tich-na
VITiếng Việt
tiếp tuyến
tee-ep tyen-uwn
ZUZU
i-tangenti
i-tan-jen-ti