secant

Other forms: secants

Definitions of secant

1. noun

   a straight line that intersects a curve at two or more points
   type of:

   straight line

   a line traced by a point traveling in a constant direction; a line of zero curvature
2. noun

   ratio of the hypotenuse to the adjacent side of a right-angled triangle
   synonyms: sec

   type of:

   circular function, trigonometric function

   function of an angle expressed as a ratio of the length of the sides of right-angled triangle containing the angle