Geometry. an intersecting line, especially one intersecting a curve at two or more points.
2.
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.
adjective
3.
cutting or intersecting, as one line or surface in relation to another.
Origin
1585-95; < Latinsecant- (stem of secāns, present participle of secāre to cut), equivalent to sec- verb stem (see saw1) + -ant--ant
Related forms
secantly, adverb
Examples from the web for secant
Most of us can't tell our secant from our cotangent.
secant-Cutting the sphere or spheroid along a line or lines.
The vertex of an outside angle is a point in the exterior of a circle, and its rays are either secant or tangent rays.
In addition, four cables have a stiffness equivalent to the secant stiffness of a bar at the cable's yield strain.
Investigate whether soils are compatible with drilled shafts and secant pile walls.
Simplify difference quotients and interpret difference quotients as rates of change and slopes of secant lines.
British Dictionary definitions for secant
secant
/ˈsiːkənt/
noun
1.
(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 sec
2.
a line that intersects a curve
Derived Forms
secantly, adverb
Word Origin
C16: from Latin secāre to cut
Word Origin and History for secant
n.
1590s, from Latin secantem (nominative secans) "a cutting," present participle of secare "to cut" (see section (n.)). First used by Danish mathematician Thomas Fincke in "Geometria Rotundi" (1583).
secant in Science
secant
(sē'kānt')
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.