Where does “point of tangency” come from?

point of tangency (English) comes from English point, from Middle English point, from Old French point, from Latin pūnctum, from Latin punctus, from Latin -tus, from Proto-Italic -tus, from Proto-Indo-European -tus — Derives action nouns from verb roots.

point of tangency (English): The point where a tangent line and its curve meet

Definitions

  1. The point where a tangent line and its curve meet

Ancestry of “point of tangency”, step by step

point of tangency traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via English point

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpointA discrete division of something; A sharp...
2Middle Englishpoint
3Old Frenchpointa sting; a prick; moment; time; dot
4Latinpūnctumpoint
5Latinpunctuspricked, punctured, pierced, having been pricked;...
6Latin-tusForms the past participle of verbs; Forms...
7Proto-Italic-tus
8Proto-Indo-European-tusDerives action nouns from verb roots

via English of

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishofAPI; Expressing distance or motion; "Expressing...
2Middle Englishofof; off; until
3Old Englishofof, from, off, out of
4Old Englishæfof
5Proto-Germanic*ab
6Proto-Indo-Europeanapó

via English tangency

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtangencyThe state of being tangent; an instance of being...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tusEvery word from Latin -tusEvery word from Latin punctus
point of tangency — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer