cosecant Hear it!

cosecant definition

co·secant (kō sē′kənt, -kant′)

noun

Trigonometry the reciprocal of the sine; specif.
  1. the ratio of the hypotenuse to the opposite side of a given acute angle in a right triangle
  2. an equivalent, positive or negative ratio for certain related angles (Ex.: the cosecant of 57° or 123° is 1.1923, of 237° or 303° is −1.1923) or real numbers representing radians (Ex.: the cosecant of .9948 radians (57°) is 1.1923)

Etymology: Fr cosécante, for co. secans, short for ModL complementi secans, lit., secant of the complement

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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