Pronunciation: [sˈiːkənt] (IPA) 
The spelling of the word "secant" is a tricky one due to its Latin roots. The correct pronunciation of "secant" is /ˈsiːkənt/. The "s" sound is pronounced as "s", followed by a long "ee" sound, then pronounced as "kuhnt" so that its last syllable rhymes with "rant". A secant refers to a line that intersects a circle at two distinct points. This mathematical term is commonly used in geometry and trigonometry.
A secant can refer to two different concepts, both within the realms of mathematics and trigonometry. In geometry, secant is a straight line that intersects a curve in two or more points. It is also commonly understood as a line that intersects a circle at two distinct points.
Alternatively, in trigonometry, secant is one of the six trigonometric functions typically defined as the reciprocal of the cosine function. Specifically, it is defined as the ratio of the hypotenuse to the adjacent side in a right-angled triangle. The secant function is denoted by 'sec' and can be calculated by taking the reciprocal of the cosine function or by using the Pythagorean identity.
In the context of the unit circle, where the circle's center is at the origin and the radius is 1, the secant of an angle is the length of the secant line from the origin to the point on the unit circle corresponding to that angle. It represents the multiplicative factor by which the hypotenuse of a right triangle is longer than its adjacent side.
The secant has various applications in trigonometry, mathematics, physics, and engineering. It is used to calculate and analyze angles, distances, ratios, and various geometric properties, supporting calculations in fields such as geometry, navigation, astronomy, and more.
• Cutting: dividing into two parts.
• A line that cuts another; in geom., a right line that divides another; a straight line cutting a curve in two or more points; in trig., a right line drawn from the centre of a circle, which, cutting the circle, is produced till it meet another straight line, called a tangent, which merely touches the same circle.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "secant" has its origins in the Latin word "secans", which is the present participle of the verb "secare", meaning "to cut". This Latin term eventually gave rise to the noun "secant", which was used in geometry to refer to a line or a curve that intersects another line or curve. The term was first introduced in English during the 17th century.
