| a. | 1. | Cutting; dividing into two parts; |
| n. | 1. | (Geom.) A line that cuts another; especially, a straight line cutting a curve in two or more points. |
| 2. | (Trig.) A right line drawn from the center of a circle through one end of a circular arc, and terminated by a tangent drawn from the other end; the number expressing the ratio of this line to the radius of the circle. See |
| Noun | 1. | secant - a straight line that intersects a curve at two or more points |
| 2. | secant - ratio of the hypotenuse to the adjacent side of a right-angled triangle Synonyms: sec |