secant

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“
Accordingly, an observation of the temperature produced by solar radiation at a zenith distance whose secant is twice that of the secant of 17° 12', viz., 61° 28', determines the minimum atmospheric absorption at New York.

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Definitions (15)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. noun A straight line intersecting a curve at two or more points.
  2. noun 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. noun The ratio of the length of this line to the length of the radius of the circle.
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Examples (40)

  • A trusted secant was sent to his home in Hereford in case he had turned up there, but the journey proved fruitless.
  • (He also resorts to what could be called a special case of a secant construction.) —  Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium - Recent changes [en]
  • In situ walls (soldier pile, secant pile, tangent pile, etc.) and gravity walls (i.e., concrete cantilever, reinforced soil, gabion, crib, etc.) —  Malaysia independent news
  • Pyramids • In 1859, the Pyramidologist John Taylor (1781-1864) asserted that in the Great Pyramid of Giza built around 2600 BC the golden ratio is represented by the ratio of the length of the face (the slope height), inclined at an angle θ to the ground, to half the length of the side of the square base, equivalent to the secant of the angle θ. —  Recently Uploaded Slideshows
  • "State the anti-derivative of the secant function," Calavitta yells. —  School Information System
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Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. From Latin secāns, secant-, present participle of secāre, to cut; see sek- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. = French sécant = Spanish Portuguese Italian secante = Dutch sccans = German secante = Swedish Danish sekant, from Latin secan (t -)s, present participle of secare, cut, = Tout. √ sag, seg, in Anglo-Saxon sagu, a saw, sigthe, a scythe, etc. From the L. secare are also ult. section, sector, etc., bisect, dissect, exsect, intersect, prosect, resect, trisect, insect, scion, sickle, risk, etc.
 

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/ˈsikænt/
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