Where does “tangent” come from?
Tangent comes from Latin tangentem, the accusative form of tangens, meaning "touching," derived from the Latin verb tangere, ultimately traced to Proto-Indo-European līno-.
tangent (English): A straight line touching a curve at a single...
Definitions
- A straight line touching a curve at a single...
Ancestry of “tangent”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | tangentem | accusative masculine singular of tangēns;... |
| 2 | Latin | tangens | touching, grasping; reaching, arriving at;... |
| 3 | Latin | tangō | — |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | *tangō | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | denḱ- | to bite |
Words derived from “tangent”