tangents
noun
Definitions
A straight line touching a curve at a single point without crossing it there.
A function of an angle that gives the ratio of the sine to the cosine, in either the real or complex numbers. Symbols: tan, tg.
A topic nearly unrelated to the main topic, but having a point in common with it.
Example: I believe we went off onto a tangent when we started talking about monkeys on unicycles at his retirement party.
A small metal blade in a clavichord that strikes the strings to produce sound.