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TANGENCY
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
(electronics) a junction where things (as two electrical conductors) touch or are in physical contact
Example:
they forget to solder the contacts
Synonyms:
contact; tangency
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("tangency" is a kind of...):
conjunction; junction (something that joins or connects)
Domain category:
electronics (the branch of physics that deals with the emission and effects of electrons and with the use of electronic devices)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "tangency"):
breaker point; distributor point; point (a contact in the distributor; as the rotor turns its projecting arm contacts them and current flows to the spark plugs)
electrical contact (contact that allows current to pass from one conductor to another)
p-n junction (the junction between a p-type semiconductor and an n-type semiconductor)
short; short circuit (accidental contact between two points in an electric circuit that have a potential difference)
sound bow (contact (the part of a bell) against which the clapper strikes)
pole; terminal (a contact on an electrical device (such as a battery) at which electric current enters or leaves)
tread (the part (as of a wheel or shoe) that makes contact with the ground)
contact arm; wiper; wiper arm (contact consisting of a conducting arm that rotates over a series of fixed contacts and comes to rest on an outlet)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The state of being tangent; having contact at a single point or along a line without crossing
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("tangency" is a kind of...):
contact (the state or condition of touching or of being in immediate proximity)
Derivation:
tangent (a straight line or plane that touches a curve or curved surface at a point but does not intersect it at that point)
