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secant

 - 4 dictionary results

se⋅cant

  [see-kant, -kuhnt]
Use secant in a Sentence
–noun
1. Geometry. an intersecting line, esp. one intersecting a curve at two or more points.
2. Trigonometry.
a. (in a right triangle) the ratio of the hypotenuse to the side adjacent to a given angle.
b. (originally) a line from the center of a circle through one extremity of an arc to the tangent from the other extremity.
c. 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
–adjective
3. cutting or intersecting, as one line or surface in relation to another.
Origin:
1585–95; < L secant- (s. of secāns, prp. of secāre to cut), equiv. to sec- verb s. (see saw 1 ) + -ant- -ant

Related forms:
se⋅cant⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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se·cant   (sē'kānt', -kənt)   


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n.   Abbr. sec

    1. A straight line intersecting a curve at two or more points.

    2. The straight line drawn from the center through one end of a circular arc and intersecting the tangent to the other end of the arc.

    3. The ratio of the length of this line to the length of the radius of the circle.

  2. The reciprocal of the cosine of an angle in a right triangle.


[From Latin secāns, secant-, present participle of secāre, to cut; see sek- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

secant 
1593, from L. secantem (nom. secans) "cutting," prp. of secare "to cut" (see section). First used by Dan. mathematician Thomas Fincke in Geometria Rotundi (1583).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Science Dictionary
secant   (sē'kānt')  Pronunciation Key 

  1. A straight line or ray that intersects a curve, especially a circle, at two or more points.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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 © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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