Found 2 items, similar to tangential.
English → English (WordNet) Definition: tangential tangential adj 1: of superficial relevance if any; “a digressive allusion to the day of the week”; “a tangential remark” [syn: digressive] 2: of or relating to or acting along or in the direction of a tangent; “tangential forces”
English → English (gcide) Definition: Tangential Tangential \Tan*gen"tial\, a. (Geom.) Of or pertaining to a tangent; in the direction of a tangent. [1913 Webster] Tangential force (Mech.), a force which acts on a moving body in the direction of a tangent to the path of the body, its effect being to increase or diminish the velocity; -- distinguished from a normal force, which acts at right angles to the tangent and changes the direction of the motion without changing the velocity. Tangential stress. (Engin.) See Shear, n., 3. [1913 Webster]