secant
Geometry. an intersecting line, especially one intersecting a curve at two or more points.
Trigonometry.
(in a right triangle) the ratio of the hypotenuse to the side adjacent to a given angle.
(originally) a line from the center of a circle through one extremity of an arc to the tangent from the other extremity.
the ratio of the length of this line to that of the radius of the circle; the reciprocal of the cosine of a given angle or arc. Abbreviation: sec
cutting or intersecting, as one line or surface in relation to another.
Origin of secant
1Other words from secant
- se·cant·ly, adverb
Words Nearby secant
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use secant in a sentence
On any secant of an hyperbola the segments between the curve and the asymptotes are equal.
The fraction Δy/Δx is the trigonometrical tangent of the angle which the secant PP′ makes with the axis of x.
If the curve has a tangent at P the secant PP′ approaches a limiting position (see 33 below).
There is no necessary connexion between a conical projection and any touching or secant cone.
I say they are equall in the alterne angles of the secant and touch line oey, and oeu.
The Way To Geometry | Peter Ramus
British Dictionary definitions for secant
/ (ˈsiːkənt) /
(of an angle) a trigonometric function that in a right-angled triangle is the ratio of the length of the hypotenuse to that of the adjacent side; the reciprocal of cosine: Abbreviation: sec
a line that intersects a curve
Origin of secant
1Derived forms of secant
- secantly, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for secant
[ sē′kănt′ ]
A straight line or ray that intersects a curve, especially a circle, at two or more points.
The ratio of the length of the hypotenuse in a right triangle to the side adjacent to an acute angle. The secant is the inverse of the cosine.
The reciprocal of the abscissa of the endpoint of an arc of a unit circle centered at the origin of a Cartesian coordinate system, the arc being of length x and measured counterclockwise from the point (1, 0) if x is positive or clockwise if x is negative.
A function of a number x, equal to the secant of an angle whose measure in radians is equal to x.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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