tangential

Adjective

WordNet 3.0

Adjective (2)

of superficial relevance if any“a digressive allusion to the day of the week”“a tangential remark”Synonyms: digressive
of or relating to or acting along or in the direction of a tangent“tangential forces”

Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

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]