| tangential | <geometry> Of or pertaining to a tangent; in the direction of a tangent. Tangential force See Shear. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| tangential wound | A perforating wound or seton wound that involves only one side of the part. (05 Mar 2000) |
| tangentiality | A disturbance in the associative thought process in which one tends to digress readily from one topic under discussion to other topics which arise in the course of associations; observed in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and certain types of organic brain disorders. Compare: circumstantiality. Origin: off on a tangent, fr. L. Tango, to touch (05 Mar 2000) |