secant etymology

Etymology and Meaning:

The word "secant" comes from the Latin verb "secare," meaning "to cut." It is related to the word "segment," which means "a part cut off."

In mathematics, a secant is a straight line that intersects a curve at two distinct points.

Origin:

The concept of a secant was first introduced in ancient Greek geometry, where it was used to define the ratio of two line segments.

The earliest known reference to a secant appears in the "Elements" of Euclid, written in the 3rd century BC. Euclid used secants to define the golden ratio, which is a special ratio between two line segments.

In the centuries that followed, secants were used by mathematicians to solve various geometric problems. They were also used in trigonometry to calculate the values of trigonometric functions.

In the 17th century, the development of analytic geometry led to a new understanding of secants. René Descartes showed that secants could be represented by equations, and he used them to develop new methods for solving geometric problems.

Today, secants are used in a wide variety of mathematical applications, including geometry, trigonometry, and calculus. They are also used in physics and engineering to describe the behavior of waves and other objects.

secant relate terms

  • cosecant

    Etymology The word cosecant comes from the Latin phrase cosecans which means co cu

  • complement

    Etymology The word complement comes from the Latin word complere which means to fil

  • secant

    Etymology and Meaning The word secant comes from the Latin verb secare meaning to

  • bisect

    Etymology Bi Latin two Secare Latin to cut Meaning To divide something

  • dissect

    Etymology Dissecare Latin to cut apart Components Dis Latin prefix meaning

  • hacksaw

    Etymology The word hacksaw originated in the 16th century combining the words Hack

  • insect

    Etymology The word insect is derived from the Latin word insectum which means cut i

  • intersect

    Etymology Old French entresechir Latin intersecāre inter between secāre to

  • resect

    Etymology First used in the 16th century Derived from the Latin word resectus which

  • Saxon

    Etymology Saxon is a term derived from the Old English word Seaxe which referred to th

  • scythe

    Etymology The word scythe comes from the Old English word siðe which means cutting

  • secant

    Etymology and Meaning The word secant comes from the Latin verb secare meaning to

  • secateurs

    Etymology The word secateurs is derived from the Latin word seco which means to cut

  • sect

    Etymology The word sect is derived from the Latin word secta meaning a cutting or

  • section

    Etymology is the study of the origin and development of words It involves examining the h

  • sector

    Etymology The word sector originates from the Latin word sector which means a cutt

  • sedge

    Etymology Middle English segge segge from Old English secg from Proto West Germanic

  • segment

    Etymology The word segment comes from the Latin word segmentum meaning a cutting

  • skin

    Etymology Proto Indo European sḱi meaning to cut to peel Meaning Skin refers

  • skinflint

    Etymology From earlier skin flint meaning a person who holds tightly to his her money

  • skinny

    Etymology The word skinny is derived from the Middle English word skine which means

  • transect

    Etymology The word transect comes from the Latin trans meaning across and sect

  • cirrhosis

    Etymology The word cirrhosis comes from the Greek word κίρρωσις kirrhōsis w

  • exile

    Etymology Latin exsilium exile banishment Proto Indo European eks s il out

  • blight

    Etymology Middle English blīte from Old English blīht joyful cheerful gracious

  • renege

    Etymology Late 16th century from French renégat 16th century from Spanish renegado

  • hocus pocus

    Etymology Hocus noun A juggler or magician first recorded in the 1500s Possibly de

  • dissertation

    Etymology Latin dissertatio Root disserere to discourse discuss Meaning A

  • abeyance

    Etymology The word abeyance comes from the Old French word abeance which means cess

  • aubergine

    Etymology French aubergine Italian aubergina Spanish berenjena Arabic al badinjan

  • matrix

    Etymology The English word matrix is derived from the Latin word matrix meaning wo

  • clean

    Etymology The word clean comes from the Middle English word clene which is derived f