Meanings
comparative more tangentially · superlative most tangentially · alternative dated tangentally
- In a tangential manner or direction.
And while cellphones are at least experientially related to the land line, and e-mail feels tangentially related to the fax, texting is simultaneously a throwback to the telegraph and a harbinger of a new age.
2007 July 12, Lisa Belkin, “Let’s Talk. Let Me Outline the Ways.”, in The New York Times1 more example
Rift sawn planks shrink about one half of those cut tangentially, due to the restraining action of medullary rays. Also, rift sawn timber gives a harder wearing surface than the other and hence these may be used in flooring and other locations subjected to abrasive actions.
2003, . B.C. Punmia, Ashok Kumar Jain, & Arun Kr. Jain, Basic Civil Engineering, →ISBN, page 79
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*teh₂g-
- Proto-Italic*tangō
- Latintangō
- Latintangēns
- Latintangentem
- Englishtangent
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
- Englishtangential
- Proto-Indo-European*leyg-
- Proto-Germanic*līką
- Englishtangentially
From tangential + -ly.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish sivuavasti, tangentiaalisesti
- sivuavastiin a tangential manner or direction
- tangentiaalisestiin a tangential manner or direction
Russian ко́свенно, по касательной
- ко́свенно (kósvenno)in a tangential manner or direction
- по касательной (po kasatelʹnoj)in a tangential manner or direction
Spanish tangencialmente
- tangencialmentein a tangential manner or direction
Cite this entry
tangentially. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tangentially
“tangentially.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tangentially. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tangentially,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tangentially.
Source: tangentially on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.