tangent — meaning in English

English meaning

• key noun A shaped piece of metal used to open or lock a particular lock.
• tangent noun A straight line that touches a curve at exactly one point without crossing it.

Senses

tangent is used for these senses in English:

• key (computing) One of several small, usually square buttons on a typewriter or computer keyboard, mostly corresponding to text characters.
• tangent (music) A small metal blade in a clavichord that strikes the strings to produce sound.

key — full definition

1. noun A shaped piece of metal used to open or lock a particular lock.
2. noun The single most important factor or step needed to achieve something.
3. noun One of the buttons pressed to type on a keyboard or play a musical instrument.
4. noun A short guide listing what the symbols, colours, or abbreviations on a map, chart, or test mean.
5. noun In music, the set of related notes a piece is built around, giving it its overall tonal centre.

tangent — full definition

1. noun A straight line that touches a curve at exactly one point without crossing it.
2. noun A sudden shift to a topic only loosely related to what was being discussed.

Related Danish words