Where does “tangent” come from?

tangent (Romanian) comes from French tangent, from Latin tangens, from Latin tangō, from Proto-Italic *tangō, from Proto-Indo-European denḱ- — to bite.

tangent (Romanian): tangent

Definitions

  1. tangent

Ancestry of “tangent”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchtangenttangential; borderline
2Latintangenstouching, grasping; reaching, arriving at;...
3Latintangōto touch, grasp
4Proto-Italic*tangō—
5Proto-Indo-Europeandenḱ-to bite
Every word from Proto-Indo-European denḱ- →Every word from Proto-Italic *tangō →Every word from Latin tangō →