Word of the Day: TANGENTIAL

Only sort of connected

tangential (adj) - lightly touching; slightly or barely connected; incidental or peripheral [tan-jen-shuhl]

BREAKDOWN: TANG- (touch) + -ENT (state of) + -IAL (pertaining to)

• tangent means making contact at a single point; touching but not intersecting

• a tangent is a line, curve, or point touching but not intersecting; a change of course

“New York is full of people . . . with a feeling for the tangential adventure, the risky adventure, the interlude that's not likely to end in any double-ring ceremony.” —Joan Didion