Tangent

Pronunciation: /ˈtændʒənt/

Definitions of tangent

noun a completely different line of thought or action

Example Sentences

A1 I don't understand the tangent of this math problem.

A2 The teacher explained the concept of tangent during the geometry lesson.

B1 The discussion went off on a tangent and we ended up talking about movies.

B2 The novel went off on a tangent about the protagonist's childhood.

C1 The politician's speech went off on a tangent about the economy.

C2 The scientific paper delved into a tangent about quantum mechanics.

Examples of tangent in a Sentence

formal In mathematics, a tangent is a straight line that touches a curve at a single point without crossing it.

informal I went off on a tangent during the meeting and started talking about my vacation plans.

slang I was on a tangent about my favorite TV show and couldn't stop talking about it.

figurative The conversation took a tangent when we started discussing politics instead of the original topic.

Grammatical Forms of tangent

• past tense: tangented
• plural: tangents
• comparative: more tangent
• superlative: most tangent
• present tense: tangents
• future tense: will tangent
• perfect tense: have tanged
• continuous tense: is/are tangenting
• singular: tangent
• positive degree: tangent
• infinitive: to tangent
• gerund: tangenting
• participle: tangented

Origin and Evolution of tangent

First Known Use: 1571 year

Language of Origin: Latin

Story behind the word: The word 'tangent' originated from the Latin word 'tangentem', which means 'touching'.

Evolution of the word: Originally used in geometry to describe a line that touches a curve at a single point, the term 'tangent' has since evolved to also mean a completely different topic or idea that is related to the main topic but not directly connected.