tangentadj.n.

/ˈtandʒənt/

Etymology: < Latin tangens, tangent-em, present participle of tangĕre to touch; used by Th. Fincke, 1583, as noun in sense = Latin līnea tangens tangent or touching line. In French tangent, -e adjective, tangente noun (Geom.), German tangente noun.

A. adj.

a. Geometry. Of a line or surface in relation to another (curved) line or surface: Touching, i.e. meeting at a point and (ordinarily) not intersecting; in contact. Also as quasi-adv.A surface may also be tangent to another surface along a line (e.g. a plane in contact with a cylinder). In quot. 1869, Taking place along a tangent. Cf. B. 1b.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > geometry > line > [adjective] > touching another

contingent?a1560

tangent1594

concurrenta1721

tangential1854

the world > relative properties > number > geometry > line > [adverb] > tangentially

tangentially1839

tangentally1891

tangent1936

1594 T. Blundeville Exercises ii. f. 47^v Our moderne Geometricians haue of late inuented two other right lines belonging to a Circle called lines Tangent, and lines Secant.

1644 K. Digby Two Treat. i. xiii. 114 The reflexion must follow the nature of tangent surfaces.

1713 G. Berkeley in Guardian 5 Aug. 1/1 Hence..the Earth..without flying off in a Tangent Line, constantly rolls about the Sun.

1866 R. A. Proctor Handbk. Stars 33 The cone, instead of being a tangent-cone, is supposed to be a secant-cone, intersecting the sphere.

1869 J. Tyndall in Fortn. Rev. 1 Feb. 245 All the vibrations tangent to the little circle..are reflected perfectly polarized.

1876 Catal. Special Loan Coll. Sci. Apparatus S. Kensington Mus. §102 Model exhibiting the simultaneous transformation..of the tangent paraboloid of the conoïd into the tangent plane of the cylinder.

1936 A. W. Clapham Romanesque Archit. W. Europe viii. 167 The subsidiary towers..at Mainz and Laach..are set axially and tangent at the ends of the transept.

1977 Sci. Amer. Aug. 37/1 The radiation is emitted tangent to these trajectories.

†b. Crystallography. Applied to a plane replacing an edge or solid angle of a crystal (also called a secant plane: see secant adj.). Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > chemistry > crystallography (general) > crystal (general) > crystal symmetry > [adjective] > replacement of

truncated1794

tangent1823

1823 H. J. Brooke Familiar Introd. Crystallogr. 109 Edges replaced by tangent planes.

1851 T. Wright & G. F. Richardson Introd. Geol. (new ed.) v. 88 Crystals often present the appearance of having lost their edges and solid angles, which are then said to be replaced by tangent planes.

c. transferred. Said of the wheel of a bicycle or tricycle having the spokes tangent to the hub.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicle propelled by feet > [adjective] > of or relating to cycles > type of wheel

tangent1886

1886 Bicycling News 6 Aug. 664/1 Laced tangent wheels, hollow rims, Hancock's tyres.

2. figurative. ‘Flying off at a tangent’ (see B. 1c); divergent, erratic.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > change of direction of movement > [adjective] > deviating from straight course

wrongc1440

swerving1534

wrya1586

wriedc1595

diverted1608

dissilient1656

deviatory1702

out-of-the-waya1732

tangent1787

wide1827

deflected1860

tangential1867

deviative1878

deviating1883

the world > relative properties > relationship > relevance or pertinence > [adjective] > irrelevant

foreigna1393

unpertinentc1400

impertinentc1450

peregrine1532

far-fet1533

exorbitant1534

unrelevant1558

stravagant1565

fremd1581

unappliable1588

misapplied1596

immaterial1598

far-fetched1607

misdevoted1623

unappertaining1645

irrelativea1657

inapposite1661

unconcerned1683

scandalous1750

uncentral1782

irrelevant1786

tangent1787

inappertinent1814

unappropriate1818

tangential1867

1787 R. Burns Let. 23 Apr. (2001) I. 108 If once this tangent flight of mine were over, and I were returned to my wonted leisurely motion in my old circle.

1799 E. Dubois Piece Family Biogr. I. 152 The voluble loquacity and tangent style of reasoning of their new companion.

3. In general sense.

a. Touching, contiguous.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > distance > nearness > [adjective] > contiguous

contiguate?a1475

contiguec1550

attingent1578

contigual1610

contiguous1611

touching1618

attiguous1676

tangent1833

1833 H. Ellis Elgin Marbles I. v. 107 Beaten together till the tangent surfaces were fitted to each other.

b. Of or pertaining to touch; tangent sense, sense of touch.Apparently an isolated use.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > touch and feeling > [adjective]

tactic1625

tactive1634

tactual1642

tactilea1706

tangent1802

haptic1860

1802 E. Darwin Orig. Society iii. 424 Say, did these fine volitions first commence From clear ideas of the tangent sense?

B. n.

1. Mathematics (elliptical for tangent line.) [= French, German tangente.]

a. Trigonometry. One of the three fundamental trigonometrical functions (cf. secant n. a, sine n.² 2), originally considered as functions of a circular arc, now usually of an angle (viz. that subtended by such arc at its centre): originally. The length of a straight line perpendicular to the radius touching one end of the arc and terminated by the secant drawn from the centre through the other end; in modern use, the ratio of this line to the radius, or (equivalently, as a function of the angle) the ratio of the side of a right-angled triangle opposite the given angle (if acute) to that of the side opposite the other acute angle (the tangent of an obtuse angle being numerically equal to that of its supplement, but of opposite sign). Abbreviated tan.Tables of tangents and cotangents were constructed and used by the Arab mathematicians of the 9th and 10th centuries (see Nallino Al Battani, Opus astronomicum, Milan 1903, i. 182); but began to be constructed in Christendom late in the 15th centuries The names tangens and secans, introduced by Thos. Fincke (Finkius) in 1583, had no connection with the names used by the Arabs.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > geometry > [noun] > branches of > trigonometry > functions of

right sine1581

sine1593

secant1594

tangent1594

secans1599

cosine1635

cotangent1635

cosecant1706

sec.-

1583 T. Finck Geometriæ Rotundi v. 64 De semicirculi sinibus, tangentibus, secantibus.

1583 T. Finck Geometriæ Rotundi v. 73 Recta sinibus connexa est tangens peripheriæ aut eam secans.]

1594 T. Blundeville Exercises ii. f. 55^v Of which Arke the line A.D. is the Tangent, and the line C.D. is the Secant thereof.

1635 J. Wells Sciographia 47 So is the tangent of R. Z. P. To the cotangent of R. P. Z.

1658 E. Phillips New World Eng. Words Tangent,..a Mathematical Term used chiefly in Astronomy,..signifies, a right line perpendicular to the Diameter drawn by the one extream of the given Arch, and terminated by the Secant.

1690 W. Leybourn Cursus mathematicus 397 Which Scales of Tangents..let be extended to 75 deg. at least.

1728 H. Pemberton View Sir I. Newton's Philos. 366 The refracting powers..will be in the duplicate proportion of the tangents of the least angles, which the refracted light can make with the surfaces of the refracting bodies.

1828 O. Gregory Hutton's Course Math. (ed. 9) II. 3 As the arc increases from o, the sines, tangents, and secants, all proceed increasing, till the arc becomes a whole quadrant.., and then the sine is the greatest it can be..; and both the tangent and secant are infinite.

b. Geometry. A straight line which touches a curve (or curved surface), i.e. meets it at a point and being produced does not (ordinarily) intersect it at that point. spec. in Surveying, a tangent to a curve at a point ( tangent point) where the curve starts or finishes; frequently attributive, as tangent distance, tangent length, the length of such a tangent from the tangent point to its intersection with the other tangent.In Higher Geometry a tangent is regarded as the limiting position of a line intersecting a curve when the two (or more) points of intersection coincide, and is hence defined as a straight line passing through two (or more) consecutive points of the curve. If the curve be conceived as traced by a moving particle, the tangent at any point of it represents the direction of motion at that point; hence a body moving in a curve, when the restraining force is withdrawn, flies off at a tangent, i.e. along the tangent (cf. the figurative use in B. 1c). At a point of inflection, where the curvature (i.e. deviation from the straight line) changes its direction, the tangent intersects as well as touches the curve.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > geometry > line > [noun] > tangent

touchline1551

adscript1636

tangent1655

focal tangent1706

semi-tangent1823

tractor1867

bitangent1873

slope1889

the world > the earth > earth sciences > geography > map-making > surveying > [noun] > point at end of curve

tangent point1850

the world > the earth > earth sciences > geography > map-making > surveying > [noun] > a survey line > tangent at end of curve

tangent1850

the world > the earth > earth sciences > geography > map-making > surveying > [noun] > distances measured between points or lines

easting1652

northing1652

southing1652

westing1652

offset1725

vertical interval1885

horizontal equivalent1889

tangent distance1983

1655 T. Gibson Syntaxis Mathematica xiii. 142 To draw a tangent [cf. 1551 Recorde Pathway, touche line] to any point assigned in any section, or from any point without the section.

1704 J. Harris Lexicon Technicum I Tangent, of a Parabola, (or other Conick Section, or Geometrical Curve) is a Right Line Drawn, cutting the Ax Produced, and touching the Section in one Point without cutting it.

1706 W. Jones Synopsis Palmariorum Matheseos 221 A Tangent to any point of the Circumference [of a circle] is Perpendicular to the Radius drawn to that Point.

1832 Nat. Philos. (Libr. Useful Knowl.) II. Introd. Mechanics p. xvi If a stone, whirled round in a sling, gets loose at the point A.., it flies off in the direction AB: this line is called a tangent.

1850 T. Baker Rudimentary Treat. Land & Engin. Surv. ii. ii. 171 Find the radii, as BO, CO′; the tangent point, as C′; and the junction point, as C, with the position of the common tangent at the junction point.

1862 W. J. M. Rankine Man. Civil Engin. i. v. 111 The places where permanent marks of the course of the line are chiefly required are on the tangents of curves.

1902 R. E. Middleton et al. Treat. Surveying II. v. 61 Find length of tangent for a 3° curve with central angle of 35° 42′.

1978 J. G. McEntyre Land Surv. Syst. x. 329 An easement curve is a transition curve utilized to increase the degree of curvature gradually from the tangent point to the circular portion of a curve.

1983 J. C. McCormack Surveying Fund. xxi. 384 The tangent distances are taped from the P.I. [sc. point of intersection] down both tangents to locate the P.C. and P.T.

c. In general use, chiefly figurative from b, esp. in phrases (off) at, in, upon a tangent, i.e. off or away with sudden divergence, from the course or direction previously followed; abruptly from one course of action, subject, thought, etc., to another.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > change of direction of movement > changing direction of movement [phrase] > aside from course > suddenly

(off) at, in, upon a tangent1771

the world > relative properties > relationship > relevance or pertinence > [phrase] > irrelevant

of purpose (also (out) of (a) (set) purpose)a1382

wide of (also from) the mark1536

neither off nor on1549

from the purpose1561

from (also out of) the bias1600

from the matter1658

(off) at, in, upon a tangent1825

1771 T. Smollett Humphry Clinker II. 143 After having twelve times described this circle, he lately flew off at a tangent to visit some trees at his country-house in England.

1815 tr. V. J. E. de Jouy Paris Chit-chat II. 92 The passengers on the roof, being at the highest point of projection flew off in a tangent, and were precipitated..into a field of new-mown hay.

1825 J. Bentham Rationale Reward 393 That manner which they have..of flying off in tangents when they are pressed.

1865 W. E. H. Lecky Hist. Rationalism (1878) I. 284 (note) Flying off at a tangent from his main subject.

1875 W. D. Whitney Life & Growth Lang. viii. 150 To abandon the established habits of speech and go off upon a tangent.

1879 M. E. Braddon Cloven Foot x Smoking his cigar, and letting his thoughts wander away at a tangent every now and then.

2. The upright pin or wedge fixed at the back of each of the keys of a clavichord, which on the depression of the key pressed up against the string and caused it to sound, acting also as a bridge to determine the pitch of the note. [= German tangent.]

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > keyboard instrument > stringed keyboards > [noun] > clavichord > wedge or bridge

tangent1878

1614 M. Praetorius Syntagma Musicum III. 68 Es hat aber ein solch Geigenwerk an statt der Tangenten [etc.].]

1878 A. J. Hipkins in Grove Dict. Music I. 367 The tangents..not only produced the tones but served..to measure off the vibrating lengths required for the pitch of the notes.1896 C. W. Naylor Shakspere & Music 68 (note) The German clavichord had ‘tangents’ of brass at the ends of the key levers.

3. Short for tangent scale n., tangent galvanometer n. at Compounds.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > parts and fittings of firearms > [noun] > sight > types of

dispart1578

telescopic sight1674

plain sight1686

aim-frontlet1745

hausse1787

foresight1806

gloaming sight1817

night-sight1822

bead1831

leaf1832

backsight1847

globe sight1847

pendulum hausse1850

hindsight1851

tangent scale1859

tangent1861

tangent backsight1862

training pendulum1862

training level1863

peep sight1866

dispart-sight1867

notch sight1867

buck-horn1877

orthoptic1881

aperturea1884

pinball-sighta1884

dispart patch1884

sight bar1884

flap-sight1887

barley-corn1896

ring sight1901

riflescope1902

spotting scope1904

tangent sight1908

Aldis sight1918

wind-sight1923

scope sight1934

gyro-sight1942

the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > electric current > [noun] > measurement of galvanic currents > apparatus for > type of

thermo-galvanometer1867

tangent galvanometer1873

ballistic galvanometer1875

tangent1905

string-galvanometer1909

tangent compass-

1861 W. H. Russell in Times 14 May His guns were without screws, scales, or tangents.

1905 W. H. Preece & J. Sivewright Telegraphy 404 Perhaps the most useful galvanometer for general testing purposes is the Tangent.

4. A straight section of railway track. U.S. colloquial.

ΚΠ

1895 I. K. Funk et al. Standard Dict. Eng. Lang. II.

Compounds

Combinations and special collocations.

(Some of these are examples of the adjective qualifying a noun) For tangent cone, tangent line, plane, surface, etc., see A. 1; for tangent distance, tangent length, tangent length at sense B. 1b.

tangent backsight n. = tangent scale n. (a).

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > parts and fittings of firearms > [noun] > sight > types of

dispart1578

telescopic sight1674

plain sight1686

aim-frontlet1745

hausse1787

foresight1806

gloaming sight1817

night-sight1822

bead1831

leaf1832

backsight1847

globe sight1847

pendulum hausse1850

hindsight1851

tangent scale1859

tangent1861

tangent backsight1862

training pendulum1862

training level1863

peep sight1866

dispart-sight1867

notch sight1867

buck-horn1877

orthoptic1881

aperturea1884

pinball-sighta1884

dispart patch1884

sight bar1884

flap-sight1887

barley-corn1896

ring sight1901

riflescope1902

spotting scope1904

tangent sight1908

Aldis sight1918

wind-sight1923

scope sight1934

gyro-sight1942

1862 Internat. Exhib.: Illustr. Catal. Industr. Dept. II. xi. §2612 The Tangent back-sight is elevated by a rack and pinion, the latter having a micrometer wheel for finer readings than the divisions on the tangent stem allow.

tangent balance n. a balance in which the weight is shown on a graduated arc by a pointer attached to the beam; the bent-lever balance, common as a letter-balance.

Thesaurus »

Categories »

tangent compass n. = tangent galvanometer n.

tangent galvanometer n. a galvanometer in which the tangent of the angle of deflection of the needle is proportional to the strength of the current passing through the coil.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > electric current > [noun] > measurement of galvanic currents > apparatus for > type of

thermo-galvanometer1867

tangent galvanometer1873

ballistic galvanometer1875

tangent1905

string-galvanometer1909

tangent compass-

1873 J. C. Maxwell Treat. Electr. & Magn. (1881) II. 325 The current is..proportional to the tangent of the deviation, and the instrument is therefore called a Tangent Galvanometer.

1876 W. H. Preece & J. Sivewright Telegraphy 267 The insulation resistance is the only test which is taken by means of the tangent-galvanometer.

tangent scale n. (a) in Gunnery, a kind of breech-sight in which the heights of the steps or notches correspond to the tangents of the angle of elevation; (b) a graduated scale indicating the tangents of angles (see quot. 1902).

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > measurement > measuring instrument > [noun] > graduated instruments > graduated scale > other scales

tangent scale1859

mirror scale1889

Modulor1948

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > parts and fittings of firearms > [noun] > sight > types of

dispart1578

telescopic sight1674

plain sight1686

aim-frontlet1745

hausse1787

foresight1806

gloaming sight1817

night-sight1822

bead1831

leaf1832

backsight1847

globe sight1847

pendulum hausse1850

hindsight1851

tangent scale1859

tangent1861

tangent backsight1862

training pendulum1862

training level1863

peep sight1866

dispart-sight1867

notch sight1867

buck-horn1877

orthoptic1881

aperturea1884

pinball-sighta1884

dispart patch1884

sight bar1884

flap-sight1887

barley-corn1896

ring sight1901

riflescope1902

spotting scope1904

tangent sight1908

Aldis sight1918

wind-sight1923

scope sight1934

gyro-sight1942

1859 F. A. Griffiths Artillerist's Man. (1862) 51 A Tangent scale is affixed to the breech of Guns, and Howitzers, by means of which the requisite elevation may be given.

1902 T. O'C. Sloane Standard Electr. Dict. Tangent scale, an arc of a circle in which the number of graduations in any arc starting from zero are proportional to the tangent of the angle subtended by such arc. The system is for use with tangent galvanometers.

tangent screw n. a screw working tangentially upon a toothed circle or arc so as to give it a slow motion for delicate measurements or adjustments.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > measurement > measuring instrument > [noun] > graduated instruments > graduated scale > movable scale or vernier > adjustment screw

tangent screw1862

1862 Internat. Exhib.: Illustr. Catal. Industr. Dept. II. xiii. 5/2 Circumferenter or miner's dial, with tangent screw adjustment.

1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Tangent-screw, an endless screw tangentially attached to the index-arm of an instrument of precision, enabling a delicate motion to be given to the arm after it has been clamped to the limb, and permitting angular measurements to be made with greater exactness than could be done were the movement entirely effected by hand.

tangent sight n. = tangent scale n. (a).

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > parts and fittings of firearms > [noun] > sight > types of

dispart1578

telescopic sight1674

plain sight1686

aim-frontlet1745

hausse1787

foresight1806

gloaming sight1817

night-sight1822

bead1831

leaf1832

backsight1847

globe sight1847

pendulum hausse1850

hindsight1851

tangent scale1859

tangent1861

tangent backsight1862

training pendulum1862

training level1863

peep sight1866

dispart-sight1867

notch sight1867

buck-horn1877

orthoptic1881

aperturea1884

pinball-sighta1884

dispart patch1884

sight bar1884

flap-sight1887

barley-corn1896

ring sight1901

riflescope1902

spotting scope1904

tangent sight1908

Aldis sight1918

wind-sight1923

scope sight1934

gyro-sight1942

1908 Treat. Serv. Ordn. Royal Artill. 513 The tangent sights consist of triangular nickel-plated steel bars graduated on the rear face.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1910; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	tangent
释义	tangentadj.n. /ˈtandʒənt/ Etymology: < Latin tangens, tangent-em, present participle of tangĕre to touch; used by Th. Fincke, 1583, as noun in sense = Latin līnea tangens tangent or touching line. In French tangent, -e adjective, tangente noun (Geom.), German tangente noun. A. adj. 1. a. Geometry. Of a line or surface in relation to another (curved) line or surface: Touching, i.e. meeting at a point and (ordinarily) not intersecting; in contact. Also as quasi-adv.A surface may also be tangent to another surface along a line (e.g. a plane in contact with a cylinder). In quot. 1869, Taking place along a tangent. Cf. B. 1b. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > geometry > line > [adjective] > touching another contingent?a1560 tangent1594 concurrenta1721 tangential1854 the world > relative properties > number > geometry > line > [adverb] > tangentially tangentially1839 tangentally1891 tangent1936 1594 T. Blundeville Exercises ii. f. 47^v Our moderne Geometricians haue of late inuented two other right lines belonging to a Circle called lines Tangent, and lines Secant. 1644 K. Digby Two Treat. i. xiii. 114 The reflexion must follow the nature of tangent surfaces. 1713 G. Berkeley in Guardian 5 Aug. 1/1 Hence..the Earth..without flying off in a Tangent Line, constantly rolls about the Sun. 1866 R. A. Proctor Handbk. Stars 33 The cone, instead of being a tangent-cone, is supposed to be a secant-cone, intersecting the sphere. 1869 J. Tyndall in Fortn. Rev. 1 Feb. 245 All the vibrations tangent to the little circle..are reflected perfectly polarized. 1876 Catal. Special Loan Coll. Sci. Apparatus S. Kensington Mus. §102 Model exhibiting the simultaneous transformation..of the tangent paraboloid of the conoïd into the tangent plane of the cylinder. 1936 A. W. Clapham Romanesque Archit. W. Europe viii. 167 The subsidiary towers..at Mainz and Laach..are set axially and tangent at the ends of the transept. 1977 Sci. Amer. Aug. 37/1 The radiation is emitted tangent to these trajectories. †b. Crystallography. Applied to a plane replacing an edge or solid angle of a crystal (also called a secant plane: see secant adj.). Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > chemistry > crystallography (general) > crystal (general) > crystal symmetry > [adjective] > replacement of truncated1794 tangent1823 1823 H. J. Brooke Familiar Introd. Crystallogr. 109 Edges replaced by tangent planes. 1851 T. Wright & G. F. Richardson Introd. Geol. (new ed.) v. 88 Crystals often present the appearance of having lost their edges and solid angles, which are then said to be replaced by tangent planes. c. transferred. Said of the wheel of a bicycle or tricycle having the spokes tangent to the hub. ΘΚΠ society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicle propelled by feet > [adjective] > of or relating to cycles > type of wheel tangent1886 1886 Bicycling News 6 Aug. 664/1 Laced tangent wheels, hollow rims, Hancock's tyres. 2. figurative. ‘Flying off at a tangent’ (see B. 1c); divergent, erratic. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > change of direction of movement > [adjective] > deviating from straight course wrongc1440 swerving1534 wrya1586 wriedc1595 diverted1608 dissilient1656 deviatory1702 out-of-the-waya1732 tangent1787 wide1827 deflected1860 tangential1867 deviative1878 deviating1883 the world > relative properties > relationship > relevance or pertinence > [adjective] > irrelevant foreigna1393 unpertinentc1400 impertinentc1450 peregrine1532 far-fet1533 exorbitant1534 unrelevant1558 stravagant1565 fremd1581 unappliable1588 misapplied1596 immaterial1598 far-fetched1607 misdevoted1623 unappertaining1645 irrelativea1657 inapposite1661 unconcerned1683 scandalous1750 uncentral1782 irrelevant1786 tangent1787 inappertinent1814 unappropriate1818 tangential1867 1787 R. Burns Let. 23 Apr. (2001) I. 108 If once this tangent flight of mine were over, and I were returned to my wonted leisurely motion in my old circle. 1799 E. Dubois Piece Family Biogr. I. 152 The voluble loquacity and tangent style of reasoning of their new companion. 3. In general sense. a. Touching, contiguous. ΘΚΠ the world > space > distance > nearness > [adjective] > contiguous contiguate?a1475 contiguec1550 attingent1578 contigual1610 contiguous1611 touching1618 attiguous1676 tangent1833 1833 H. Ellis Elgin Marbles I. v. 107 Beaten together till the tangent surfaces were fitted to each other. b. Of or pertaining to touch; tangent sense, sense of touch.Apparently an isolated use. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > touch and feeling > [adjective] tactic1625 tactive1634 tactual1642 tactilea1706 tangent1802 haptic1860 1802 E. Darwin Orig. Society iii. 424 Say, did these fine volitions first commence From clear ideas of the tangent sense? B. n. 1. Mathematics (elliptical for tangent line.) [= French, German tangente.] a. Trigonometry. One of the three fundamental trigonometrical functions (cf. secant n. a, sine n.² 2), originally considered as functions of a circular arc, now usually of an angle (viz. that subtended by such arc at its centre): originally. The length of a straight line perpendicular to the radius touching one end of the arc and terminated by the secant drawn from the centre through the other end; in modern use, the ratio of this line to the radius, or (equivalently, as a function of the angle) the ratio of the side of a right-angled triangle opposite the given angle (if acute) to that of the side opposite the other acute angle (the tangent of an obtuse angle being numerically equal to that of its supplement, but of opposite sign). Abbreviated tan.Tables of tangents and cotangents were constructed and used by the Arab mathematicians of the 9th and 10th centuries (see Nallino Al Battani, Opus astronomicum, Milan 1903, i. 182); but began to be constructed in Christendom late in the 15th centuries The names tangens and secans, introduced by Thos. Fincke (Finkius) in 1583, had no connection with the names used by the Arabs. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > geometry > [noun] > branches of > trigonometry > functions of right sine1581 sine1593 secant1594 tangent1594 secans1599 cosine1635 cotangent1635 cosecant1706 sec.- 1583 T. Finck Geometriæ Rotundi v. 64 De semicirculi sinibus, tangentibus, secantibus. 1583 T. Finck Geometriæ Rotundi v. 73 Recta sinibus connexa est tangens peripheriæ aut eam secans.] 1594 T. Blundeville Exercises ii. f. 55^v Of which Arke the line A.D. is the Tangent, and the line C.D. is the Secant thereof. 1635 J. Wells Sciographia 47 So is the tangent of R. Z. P. To the cotangent of R. P. Z. 1658 E. Phillips New World Eng. Words Tangent,..a Mathematical Term used chiefly in Astronomy,..signifies, a right line perpendicular to the Diameter drawn by the one extream of the given Arch, and terminated by the Secant. 1690 W. Leybourn Cursus mathematicus 397 Which Scales of Tangents..let be extended to 75 deg. at least. 1728 H. Pemberton View Sir I. Newton's Philos. 366 The refracting powers..will be in the duplicate proportion of the tangents of the least angles, which the refracted light can make with the surfaces of the refracting bodies. 1828 O. Gregory Hutton's Course Math. (ed. 9) II. 3 As the arc increases from o, the sines, tangents, and secants, all proceed increasing, till the arc becomes a whole quadrant.., and then the sine is the greatest it can be..; and both the tangent and secant are infinite. b. Geometry. A straight line which touches a curve (or curved surface), i.e. meets it at a point and being produced does not (ordinarily) intersect it at that point. spec. in Surveying, a tangent to a curve at a point ( tangent point) where the curve starts or finishes; frequently attributive, as tangent distance, tangent length, the length of such a tangent from the tangent point to its intersection with the other tangent.In Higher Geometry a tangent is regarded as the limiting position of a line intersecting a curve when the two (or more) points of intersection coincide, and is hence defined as a straight line passing through two (or more) consecutive points of the curve. If the curve be conceived as traced by a moving particle, the tangent at any point of it represents the direction of motion at that point; hence a body moving in a curve, when the restraining force is withdrawn, flies off at a tangent, i.e. along the tangent (cf. the figurative use in B. 1c). At a point of inflection, where the curvature (i.e. deviation from the straight line) changes its direction, the tangent intersects as well as touches the curve. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > geometry > line > [noun] > tangent touchline1551 adscript1636 tangent1655 focal tangent1706 semi-tangent1823 tractor1867 bitangent1873 slope1889 the world > the earth > earth sciences > geography > map-making > surveying > [noun] > point at end of curve tangent point1850 the world > the earth > earth sciences > geography > map-making > surveying > [noun] > a survey line > tangent at end of curve tangent1850 the world > the earth > earth sciences > geography > map-making > surveying > [noun] > distances measured between points or lines easting1652 northing1652 southing1652 westing1652 offset1725 vertical interval1885 horizontal equivalent1889 tangent distance1983 1655 T. Gibson Syntaxis Mathematica xiii. 142 To draw a tangent [cf. 1551 Recorde Pathway, touche line] to any point assigned in any section, or from any point without the section. 1704 J. Harris Lexicon Technicum I Tangent, of a Parabola, (or other Conick Section, or Geometrical Curve) is a Right Line Drawn, cutting the Ax Produced, and touching the Section in one Point without cutting it. 1706 W. Jones Synopsis Palmariorum Matheseos 221 A Tangent to any point of the Circumference [of a circle] is Perpendicular to the Radius drawn to that Point. 1832 Nat. Philos. (Libr. Useful Knowl.) II. Introd. Mechanics p. xvi If a stone, whirled round in a sling, gets loose at the point A.., it flies off in the direction AB: this line is called a tangent. 1850 T. Baker Rudimentary Treat. Land & Engin. Surv. ii. ii. 171 Find the radii, as BO, CO′; the tangent point, as C′; and the junction point, as C, with the position of the common tangent at the junction point. 1862 W. J. M. Rankine Man. Civil Engin. i. v. 111 The places where permanent marks of the course of the line are chiefly required are on the tangents of curves. 1902 R. E. Middleton et al. Treat. Surveying II. v. 61 Find length of tangent for a 3° curve with central angle of 35° 42′. 1978 J. G. McEntyre Land Surv. Syst. x. 329 An easement curve is a transition curve utilized to increase the degree of curvature gradually from the tangent point to the circular portion of a curve. 1983 J. C. McCormack Surveying Fund. xxi. 384 The tangent distances are taped from the P.I. [sc. point of intersection] down both tangents to locate the P.C. and P.T. c. In general use, chiefly figurative from b, esp. in phrases (off) at, in, upon a tangent, i.e. off or away with sudden divergence, from the course or direction previously followed; abruptly from one course of action, subject, thought, etc., to another. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > change of direction of movement > changing direction of movement [phrase] > aside from course > suddenly (off) at, in, upon a tangent1771 the world > relative properties > relationship > relevance or pertinence > [phrase] > irrelevant of purpose (also (out) of (a) (set) purpose)a1382 wide of (also from) the mark1536 neither off nor on1549 from the purpose1561 from (also out of) the bias1600 from the matter1658 (off) at, in, upon a tangent1825 1771 T. Smollett Humphry Clinker II. 143 After having twelve times described this circle, he lately flew off at a tangent to visit some trees at his country-house in England. 1815 tr. V. J. E. de Jouy Paris Chit-chat II. 92 The passengers on the roof, being at the highest point of projection flew off in a tangent, and were precipitated..into a field of new-mown hay. 1825 J. Bentham Rationale Reward 393 That manner which they have..of flying off in tangents when they are pressed. 1865 W. E. H. Lecky Hist. Rationalism (1878) I. 284 (note) Flying off at a tangent from his main subject. 1875 W. D. Whitney Life & Growth Lang. viii. 150 To abandon the established habits of speech and go off upon a tangent. 1879 M. E. Braddon Cloven Foot x Smoking his cigar, and letting his thoughts wander away at a tangent every now and then. 2. The upright pin or wedge fixed at the back of each of the keys of a clavichord, which on the depression of the key pressed up against the string and caused it to sound, acting also as a bridge to determine the pitch of the note. [= German tangent.] ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > keyboard instrument > stringed keyboards > [noun] > clavichord > wedge or bridge tangent1878 1614 M. Praetorius Syntagma Musicum III. 68 Es hat aber ein solch Geigenwerk an statt der Tangenten [etc.].] 1878 A. J. Hipkins in Grove Dict. Music I. 367 The tangents..not only produced the tones but served..to measure off the vibrating lengths required for the pitch of the notes.1896 C. W. Naylor Shakspere & Music 68 (note) The German clavichord had ‘tangents’ of brass at the ends of the key levers. 3. Short for tangent scale n., tangent galvanometer n. at Compounds. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > parts and fittings of firearms > [noun] > sight > types of dispart1578 telescopic sight1674 plain sight1686 aim-frontlet1745 hausse1787 foresight1806 gloaming sight1817 night-sight1822 bead1831 leaf1832 backsight1847 globe sight1847 pendulum hausse1850 hindsight1851 tangent scale1859 tangent1861 tangent backsight1862 training pendulum1862 training level1863 peep sight1866 dispart-sight1867 notch sight1867 buck-horn1877 orthoptic1881 aperturea1884 pinball-sighta1884 dispart patch1884 sight bar1884 flap-sight1887 barley-corn1896 ring sight1901 riflescope1902 spotting scope1904 tangent sight1908 Aldis sight1918 wind-sight1923 scope sight1934 gyro-sight1942 the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > electric current > [noun] > measurement of galvanic currents > apparatus for > type of thermo-galvanometer1867 tangent galvanometer1873 ballistic galvanometer1875 tangent1905 string-galvanometer1909 tangent compass- 1861 W. H. Russell in Times 14 May His guns were without screws, scales, or tangents. 1905 W. H. Preece & J. Sivewright Telegraphy 404 Perhaps the most useful galvanometer for general testing purposes is the Tangent. 4. A straight section of railway track. U.S. colloquial. ΚΠ 1895 I. K. Funk et al. Standard Dict. Eng. Lang. II. Compounds Combinations and special collocations. (Some of these are examples of the adjective qualifying a noun) For tangent cone, tangent line, plane, surface, etc., see A. 1; for tangent distance, tangent length, tangent length at sense B. 1b. tangent backsight n. = tangent scale n. (a). ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > parts and fittings of firearms > [noun] > sight > types of dispart1578 telescopic sight1674 plain sight1686 aim-frontlet1745 hausse1787 foresight1806 gloaming sight1817 night-sight1822 bead1831 leaf1832 backsight1847 globe sight1847 pendulum hausse1850 hindsight1851 tangent scale1859 tangent1861 tangent backsight1862 training pendulum1862 training level1863 peep sight1866 dispart-sight1867 notch sight1867 buck-horn1877 orthoptic1881 aperturea1884 pinball-sighta1884 dispart patch1884 sight bar1884 flap-sight1887 barley-corn1896 ring sight1901 riflescope1902 spotting scope1904 tangent sight1908 Aldis sight1918 wind-sight1923 scope sight1934 gyro-sight1942 1862 Internat. Exhib.: Illustr. Catal. Industr. Dept. II. xi. §2612 The Tangent back-sight is elevated by a rack and pinion, the latter having a micrometer wheel for finer readings than the divisions on the tangent stem allow. tangent balance n. a balance in which the weight is shown on a graduated arc by a pointer attached to the beam; the bent-lever balance, common as a letter-balance. Thesaurus » Categories » tangent compass n. = tangent galvanometer n. tangent galvanometer n. a galvanometer in which the tangent of the angle of deflection of the needle is proportional to the strength of the current passing through the coil. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > electric current > [noun] > measurement of galvanic currents > apparatus for > type of thermo-galvanometer1867 tangent galvanometer1873 ballistic galvanometer1875 tangent1905 string-galvanometer1909 tangent compass- 1873 J. C. Maxwell Treat. Electr. & Magn. (1881) II. 325 The current is..proportional to the tangent of the deviation, and the instrument is therefore called a Tangent Galvanometer. 1876 W. H. Preece & J. Sivewright Telegraphy 267 The insulation resistance is the only test which is taken by means of the tangent-galvanometer. tangent scale n. (a) in Gunnery, a kind of breech-sight in which the heights of the steps or notches correspond to the tangents of the angle of elevation; (b) a graduated scale indicating the tangents of angles (see quot. 1902). ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > measurement > measuring instrument > [noun] > graduated instruments > graduated scale > other scales tangent scale1859 mirror scale1889 Modulor1948 society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > parts and fittings of firearms > [noun] > sight > types of dispart1578 telescopic sight1674 plain sight1686 aim-frontlet1745 hausse1787 foresight1806 gloaming sight1817 night-sight1822 bead1831 leaf1832 backsight1847 globe sight1847 pendulum hausse1850 hindsight1851 tangent scale1859 tangent1861 tangent backsight1862 training pendulum1862 training level1863 peep sight1866 dispart-sight1867 notch sight1867 buck-horn1877 orthoptic1881 aperturea1884 pinball-sighta1884 dispart patch1884 sight bar1884 flap-sight1887 barley-corn1896 ring sight1901 riflescope1902 spotting scope1904 tangent sight1908 Aldis sight1918 wind-sight1923 scope sight1934 gyro-sight1942 1859 F. A. Griffiths Artillerist's Man. (1862) 51 A Tangent scale is affixed to the breech of Guns, and Howitzers, by means of which the requisite elevation may be given. 1902 T. O'C. Sloane Standard Electr. Dict. Tangent scale, an arc of a circle in which the number of graduations in any arc starting from zero are proportional to the tangent of the angle subtended by such arc. The system is for use with tangent galvanometers. tangent screw n. a screw working tangentially upon a toothed circle or arc so as to give it a slow motion for delicate measurements or adjustments. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > measurement > measuring instrument > [noun] > graduated instruments > graduated scale > movable scale or vernier > adjustment screw tangent screw1862 1862 Internat. Exhib.: Illustr. Catal. Industr. Dept. II. xiii. 5/2 Circumferenter or miner's dial, with tangent screw adjustment. 1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Tangent-screw, an endless screw tangentially attached to the index-arm of an instrument of precision, enabling a delicate motion to be given to the arm after it has been clamped to the limb, and permitting angular measurements to be made with greater exactness than could be done were the movement entirely effected by hand. tangent sight n. = tangent scale n. (a). ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > parts and fittings of firearms > [noun] > sight > types of dispart1578 telescopic sight1674 plain sight1686 aim-frontlet1745 hausse1787 foresight1806 gloaming sight1817 night-sight1822 bead1831 leaf1832 backsight1847 globe sight1847 pendulum hausse1850 hindsight1851 tangent scale1859 tangent1861 tangent backsight1862 training pendulum1862 training level1863 peep sight1866 dispart-sight1867 notch sight1867 buck-horn1877 orthoptic1881 aperturea1884 pinball-sighta1884 dispart patch1884 sight bar1884 flap-sight1887 barley-corn1896 ring sight1901 riflescope1902 spotting scope1904 tangent sight1908 Aldis sight1918 wind-sight1923 scope sight1934 gyro-sight1942 1908 Treat. Serv. Ordn. Royal Artill. 513 The tangent sights consist of triangular nickel-plated steel bars graduated on the rear face. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1910; most recently modified version published online June 2022). tangentv. Etymology: < tangent n.Previous versions of the OED give the stress as: ˈtangent. rare. intransitive. To go off or away at a tangent (see tangent adj. 1c); to fly off at an angle. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > change of direction of movement > change direction of movement [verb (intransitive)] > diverge from course > specifically of things wryc1374 awry1604 run1846 tangent1920 1920 F. Niven Tale that is Told vii. 44 They are always tangenting away, not from what I have said, but from what they imagine I have said. 1940 ‘Gun Buster’ Return via Dunkirk ii. i. 85 The empty sardine tin that the Babe pitched, tangented off the side of his tin hat into the long grass. 1974 K. Millett Flying (1975) ii. 201 She chuckles and then tangents off to some article..she read. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1986; most recently modified version published online June 2019). < adj.n.1594v.1920
随便看	pear eater pear encrinite pear haw pear hawthorn pear leaf pear midge pear of confession pear orchard pear oyster-scale pear oysterscale pear pearl pear plum pear plum-tree pear plumtree pear psylla pear shape pear shell pear slug pear stock pear sucker pear thorn pear tree pear tree leaf pear tree wood pear warden

tangentadj.n.

Compounds

tangentv.