Word · Frequency #25726
tangential
切线的；相切的；正切的
of, relating to, or acting along a tangent line
- 1.
Referring to a tangent, moving at a tangent to something.
切线的；沿切线方向运动的
- 2.
Merely touching, positioned as a tangent.
仅接触的,处于切线位置的。
- 3.
Only indirectly related.
仅间接相关的
切线的；沿切线方向运动的；仅接触的,处于切线位置的。；仅间接相关的；切线的；相切的
In use
Draw a line tangential to the circle at point A.
The car only made tangential contact with the fence, so there was almost no damage.
The stone flies off the spinning wheel in a tangential direction.
be tangential to sth
几何中表示“与……相切”；也可引申指与主题关联不大。
The line is tangential to the circle at point P.
这条线在P点与圆相切。
a tangential [noun]
形容词作定语，常修饰comment、remark、issue、point等，表示“离题的、关联不大的”。
She made a tangential remark about the weather.
她关于天气说了一句题外话。
Common mistakes
His remarks were a tangent to the main issue.
Connections
Collocations
- tangential direction
- 切线方向
- The car moves in a tangential direction when it leaves the curve.汽车离开弯道时沿切线方向行驶。
- tangential velocity
- 切向速度
- The tangential velocity of the satellite depends on its orbit.卫星的切向速度取决于其轨道。
- tangential force
- 切向力
- A tangential force can cause an object to accelerate along its path.切向力能使物体沿其路径加速。
- tangential remark
- 离题的评论
- The professor ignored the student's tangential remark and continued the lecture.教授忽略了学生的离题评论，继续讲课。
- tangential issue
- 离题的问题
- We should not spend too much time on tangential issues during the meeting.会议期间我们不应在离题的问题上花太多时间。
Learner notes
Memory Tip
tangential 以 tangent（切线）开头，切线擦圆即飞远：既记“切线的”，也记“离题的”。
Context & Register
语域：formal 常见场景：数学与几何教材或课堂、学术论文、评论及正式演讲 该词通常较正式：几何语境中指“切线的、相切的”，多用于数学、物理等专业文本；在学术或评论语境中引申为“离题的、仅略微相关”，多用于书面表达。
Pronunciation & Spelling
这些词都包含 -ential，重读音节里有相同的 /enʃəl/，与 tangential 的重读部分 /dʒenʃəl/ 押韵。注意 tangent /ˈtændʒənt/ 和 tangible /ˈtændʒəbəl/ 虽然拼写相近，但发音不同，不押韵。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.