<p><strong>Noun:</strong></p><ul><li>an intersecting line, especially one intersecting a curve at two or more points</li><li>(in a right triangle) the ratio of the hypotenuse to the side adjacent to a given angle</li><li>originally, a line from the center of a circle through one extremity of an arc to the tangent from the other extremity</li><li>the ratio of the length of this line to that of the radius of the circle; the reciprocal of the cosine of a given angle or arc</li></ul><p><strong>Adjective:</strong></p><ul><li>cutting or intersecting, as one line or surface in relation to another</li></ul>