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cotangent

 - 3 dictionary results

co⋅tan⋅gent

  [koh-tan-juhnt, koh-tan-]
Use cotangent in a Sentence
–noun Trigonometry.
1. (in a right triangle) the ratio of the side adjacent to a given angle to the side opposite.
2. the tangent of the complement, or the reciprocal of the tangent, of a given angle or arc. Abbreviation: cot, ctn
Also, co⋅tan  [koh-tan] .

Origin:
1625–35; < NL cotangent- (s. of cotangēns). See co-, tangent

Related forms:
co⋅tan⋅gen⋅tial  [koh-tan-jen-shuhl] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To cotangent
co·tan·gent   (kō-tān'jənt)   


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n.   Abbr. cot

  1. The reciprocal of the tangent of an angle in a right triangle.

  2. The tangent of the complement of a directed angle or arc.

co'tan·gen'tial (-jěn'shəl) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Science Dictionary
cotangent   (kō-tān'jənt)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. The ratio of the length of the adjacent side of an acute angle in a right triangle to the length of the opposite side. The cotangent is the inverse of the tangent.

  2. The ratio of the ordinate to 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.

  3. A function of a number x, equal to the cotangent of an angle whose measure in radians is equal to x.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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