adj
Meaning 1
Referring to a tangent, moving at a tangent to something.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
tangential
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
-
UK: /tænˈd͡ʒɛn.t͡ʃəl/
-
US: /tænˈd͡ʒɛn.t͡ʃəl/
-
US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
-
Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
-
CMU ARPABET: T AE0 N JH EH1 N SH AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
adj
Meaning 2
Merely touching, positioned as a tangent.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 3
Only indirectly related.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- That subject is tangential to our discussion, and we cannot let it distract us.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: tangent, incidental
Antonyms: none provided
adjective
Meaning 4
of or relating to or acting along or in the direction of a tangent
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- tangential forces
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 5
of superficial relevance if any
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- a digressive allusion to the day of the week
- a tangential remark
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: digressive
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *teh2g- Proto-Italic *tangō Latin tangō Latin tangēns Latin tangentembor. English tangent Proto-Indo-European *h2el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālisder. Old French -ialder. Middle English -ial English -ial English tangential From tangent + -ial.
Across languages
Translations
31 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Catalan: tangencial — referring to a tangent
- Czech: tečnový — referring to a tangent
- Esperanto: tanĝanta — referring to a tangent
- Finnish: tangentiaalinen — referring to a tangent
- German: tangential — referring to a tangent
- Italian: tangenziale — referring to a tangent
- Romanian: tangențial — referring to a tangent
- Russian: тангенциальный (tangencialʹnyj) — referring to a tangent
- Russian: касательный (kasatelʹnyj) — referring to a tangent
- Spanish: tangencial — referring to a tangent
- Vietnamese: (thuộc) tiếp tuyến — referring to a tangent
- Esperanto: tanĝanta — merely touching
- Finnish: sivuava — merely touching
- Finnish: tangentiaalinen — merely touching
- German: tangential — merely touching
- German: streifend — merely touching
- German: berührend — merely touching
- Italian: tangenziale — merely touching
- Portuguese: tangente — merely touching
- Russian: касающийся (kasajuščijsja) — merely touching
- Catalan: tangencial — only indirectly related
- Czech: okrajový — only indirectly related
- Esperanto: parenteza — only indirectly related
- Finnish: epäolennainen — only indirectly related
- Finnish: etäisesti liittyvä — only indirectly related
- Finnish: tangentiaalinen — only indirectly related
- German: nebensächlich — only indirectly related
- Italian: tangenziale — only indirectly related
- Russian: отклоня́ющийся (otklonjájuščijsja) — only indirectly related
- Russian: имеющий слабое отноше́ние (imejuščij slaboje otnošénije) — only indirectly related
- Spanish: tangencial — only indirectly related