Adjacent Words

Secant definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SE'CANT, a. [L. secans, seco, to cut or cut off, coinciding with Eng. saw.] Cutting; dividing into two parts.
SE'CANT, n.
1. In geometry, a line that cuts another, or divides it into parts. The secant of a circle is a line drawn from the circumference on one side, to a point without the circumference on the other, In trigonometry, a secant is a right line drawn from the center of a circle, which, cutting the circumference, proceeds till it meets with a tangent to the same circle.
2. In trigonometry, the secant of an arc is a right line drawn from the center through one end of the arc, and terminated by a tangent drawn through the other end.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a straight line that intersects a curve at two or more points
2: ratio of the hypotenuse to the adjacent side of a right- angled triangle [syn: secant, sec]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: New Latin secant-, secans, from Latin, present participle of secare to cut — more at saw Date: 1593 1. a straight line cutting a curve at two or more points 2. a straight line drawn from the center of a circle through one end of a circular arc to a tangent drawn from the other end of the arc 3. a. a trigonometric function that for an acute angle is the ratio of the hypotenuse of a right triangle of which the angle is considered part and the leg adjacent to the angle b. a trigonometric function sec ? that is the reciprocal of the cosine for all real numbers ? for which the cosine is not zero and that is exactly equal to the secant of an angle of measure ? in radians

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & n. Math. --adj. cutting (secant line). --n. 1 a line cutting a curve at one or more points. 2 the ratio of the hypotenuse to the shorter side adjacent to an acute angle (in a right-angled triangle). Usage: Abbr.: sec. Etymology: F sécant(e) f. L secare secant- cut

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Secant Se"cant, a. [L. secans, -antis, p. pr. of secare to cut. See Section.] Cutting; divivding into two parts; as, a secant line.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Secant Secant, n. [Cf. F. s['e]cante. See Secant, a.] 1. (Geom.) A line that cuts another; especially, a straight line cutting a curve in two or more points. 2. (Trig.) A right line drawn from the center of a circle through one end of a circular arc, and terminated by a tangent drawn from the other end; the number expressing the ratio line of this line to the radius of the circle. See Trigonometrical function, under Function.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. Cutting, dividing.

Moby Thesaurus

air line, axis, beeline, chiasmal, chiasmic, chiastic, chord, crisscross, cross, crosscut, crossed, crossing, cut across, decussate, decussated, diagonal, diameter, direct line, directrix, edge, great-circle course, intersected, intersecting, normal, perpendicular, radius, radius vector, right line, segment, shortcut, side, straight, straight course, straight line, straight stretch, straightaway, streamline, tangent, transversal, vector